Almost everyone has heard about the struggle of balancing a social life and a successful school career; but as cliché as it may sound it really is one of the hardest parts of college life.
Arriving at college, everything is very different from the high school situation. You may have a gap of six hours between your two classes for the day while your friend is in three back-to-back classes, or vice versa. You may not have class until 7:15 at night or you may spend your whole afternoon in a classroom.
Every day varies and every person’s schedule varies far more than that of a typical high school student. With that, you also may end up having far more work to get done outside of the classroom and no parents to sit you down forcing you to finish it before dinner.
College is the place where you can pass or fail simply based on your own choices, simple as that. You can make the conscious choice to skip multiple classes simply because you did not want to go, or you can choose to put your heart and soul into each class you take.
Luckily, Cabrini is the type of school that makes it much harder to fail. As I’ve heard from multiple students throughout campus, “With all of the resources Cabrini has for students, you’d really have to work hard to fail.” And it couldn’t be more true.
Missing multiple classes? Your professors will notice and check in on you. Need help with homework? You can turn to faculty (who all have office hours) or classroom coaches, or utilize the Center for Student Success. Big research project to work on? The library staff will physically sit with you and help you find resources on whatever you are looking for. The resources are endless and everyone is out to help you succeed.
Still, this does not always solve the dilemma of school versus social. Sometimes, it is very tempting to skip class because your friends are going out to lunch together, or to sleep in because your 8:15am class is just way too early and you went out late with your friends the night before.
However, it’s important to remember that you came to college for an education; the friends and good times are just a wonderful bonus that comes along with it. At the end of the day, your degree is what matters.
It really is possible to have a successful school life and social life ... it just takes prioritizing. Sometimes it will be more important to finish your paper while your friends are all hanging out, and that is okay! There will be many more times you can go be with them, but there will not always be a chance to redo that big exam.
Set your goals for school and stick with them. If you stay organized and on top of your work, there will be plenty of time for a thriving social life as well! There are endless resources and people to help you stay on top of your work so it doesn’t take up your whole life, just be sure to use them.