Student offers advice for dealing with school, work and life

By Loren Rhoades, Assistant Features Editor

College students across the nation are spending their days as full-time students while also being full-time employees. This isn’t an easy task, of course, especially when still trying to maintain a social life among friends and family.

This is a struggle I personally relate to, because I myself am a full-time student who has both a job on and off campus. I spend my days going to class, working in a flower shop, writing stories for the school paper, doing homework and repeat. Managing those things, let alone having a life outside of them, sometimes seems almost impossible.

Although it’s sometimes overwhelming, I would advise working during school over not working. Having a job while also managing life as a college student forces you to learn time management. It also gives you your own source of income for different necessities, so you don’t end up having to ask mom or dad for the money.

A pro and con of working during school is that you must miss things occasionally, whether it be school event or a night out with friends. This obviously is a con, because it isn’t always the greatest to miss out. But it is also a pro, because it helps you to learn how to handle not being a part of everything all the time.

I personally love these aspects of it, as well as the fact that it gives me a sense of independence. Having to balance work, school, and life has taught me how to better take care of myself. I am forced to budget my own money and time.

Time management is the hardest aspect, mainly for the fact that it always seems like there is something more to be done. But, keeping up with every task is do-able it just takes a little effort. This effort includes setting a schedule for yourself and prioritizing your time. When doing both things, it is a lot easier to stay on task.

While keeping yourself scheduled there is also the task of staying patient. When life seems hectic, it is so easy to get frustrated with your situation as well as with the people around you. Just allow yourself to take a breather every once in a while, and then get refocused on what needs to be done.

If you are still trying to cope with the immense number of tasks in front of you, just remember that you are not alone in this. There are students all around you dealing with the same stress and struggles as you are. So, use that; use the stress you are holding as a way to bond with someone else. The easiest way to make a friend is to find something you have in common, and if yours is your crazy schedule, well that’s okay.

Sleep is also a huge issue when trying to stay on top of a school and work schedule. If you aren’t getting enough sleep every night, you are bound to be in a world of hurt. Sleep is necessary for us to stay physically and mentally healthy. So that means if you are wanting to stay awake when trying to do homework or don’t want to get extremely frustrated while at your workplace due to your level of tiredness, should probably go to bed at a decent hour.

But in the midst of keeping up with classes and your work schedule, don’t forget to let yourself have a little fun every once in a while. Let yourself take a much-needed break to relax with friends or to go see a movie. Don’t get so caught up in your business that you deprive yourself of having a good time