thebabyperks

There are a lot of factors that make college a challenge: picking a major, taking general education classes you don't care about at 9 a.m., getting involved on campus, maintaining a job, juggling physical and mental health, the list goes on. 

I'd like to think that I balance a social life and schoolwork pretty well. My success in managing the two comes from me keeping my priorities at the forefront of everything I do. I chose to go to college for two main reasons: to further my education and push myself outside of my comfort zone (aka be social).

When it comes to education, though, nothing frustrates me more than when I see people consistently disengaged and not trying. There are so many people who would love the opportunity to pursue higher education but not everyone gets that chance. I understand that you can't be "on" 100% of the time and that's okay, especially if you're trying, but to me you at least need to be attempting to put effort in.

Obviously balance is important, too. It's not healthy to dedicate 99% of  your life to your studies and 1% to your social life or vice versa. This past semester I had a lot of intensive projects and I'd say that at least 6 out of 7 days of the week I was doing homework. Was I working on homework all night? Not always. But I was opening up a notebook, editing a draft, or working on a spreadsheet almost every night. I was working hard but I still had a social life. I went to Kappa Delta formal and our date party, I still attended concerts, I still went out, but I also knew how to accomplish everything I needed to get done.

This is Mackenzie, she's one of my roommates next year and she's super cool. I'm grateful we do fun things like dress up and go to formals but also just get coffee and study

College provides you with so many unique opportunities that you shouldn't always say no to because you feel like you have to do homework. At the same time, though, you have to be willing to ask for help and push yourself when you're struggling. My accounting class was a challenge and I could have easily just blown it off because I didn't really need it and I'd never use it again. Instead I met with tutors and asked my friends who were accounting students for help.

Trust me, I get that life is busy. Most days I felt like I was averaging 12+ hours day, but at the end of those long days I'd reflect on how happy I was. I have some incredible people in my life because I chose Drury. I have learned a lot, challenged myself, and had some really memorable, fun nights with a lot of people I care about. I pride myself on my hard work and I've seen the results pay off. My biggest advice for college freshmen is to make those social connections, have fun, but also be willing to put in hard work.

Until next time,
Taylor xx