How to Be a Good Student and Still Engage in a Fun School Life

The stereotypical straight A student (AKA nerd) studies constantly, wears thick, dark rimmed glasses, and is pale because he or she never makes it out into the sunlight. But, like all stereotypes, this construction of the straight A student does not match up to reality. I worked at the Academic Support Center for two years during college, and believe me; the high achieving students I met at the ASC had more active and varied social lives than anyone else I met at the school. Some of the students I met managed to attend 15 hours of class each week (they never skipped), work at least 10 hours per week, participate in sports, stay active in a club or school organization, party at least two nights a week, and maintain a 3.7 GPA or higher.

College is designed to teach students time management, and the importance of balancing a work load and a social life.

Almost every student I met at the Academic Support Center possessed stellar time management skills. In order to devote enough time to schoolwork and still have time to have fun with your roommates and other friends, you need to

1. plan ahead

2. and not procrastinate.

I know, these are much easier said than done! The best advice I can give you is to utilize a calendar or planner. Keep it with you as much as possible and stick to it. Many people prefer to use the calendar on their phones or iPads, but I like having a physical planner so that I can see it all in front of me, instead of having to click on the date to find out what is listed.

When you first receive your syllabi at the beginning of the semester, note any school vacations, holidays, finals, big assignments, and exams on the calendar. Now you already know what your busiest times of the semester will be, and can plan accordingly.

Keep everything on the same planner:

• homework assignments,
• meetings,
• classes,
• family get togethers,
• random to do lists, and of course,
• parties, dinners and dates.

Take a good look at your schedule before each week begins and block out time for homework. A large chunk of time is best, but don’t ignore the random hours between classes. Those hours add up, and they are the best time to work efficiently because you are already awake and active. During this time, commit to the library or another quiet place where you won’t run into people you know.

If you have a paper due on Monday, work on it the week before so that you can socialize over the weekend.

Facebook is a wonderful tool to connect with your friends, but don’t let it replace your social life. If you spend all of your time on Facebook instead of working on homework, you won’t be able to hang out with your friends in real life, and you won’t finish your homework either. Use Facebook as a way to keep in touch with friends from home and plan social events, then log off!