Tips for Balancing Your Life on Campus

Many students are excited — and nervous — about college. It’s a whole new world where you get to choose everything from your classes to your dorm decor, and it can feel like you’ve finally become an adult. But college can also be tricky to navigate, especially when it comes to figuring out how to plan your time. Should you study for two hours or hang out with friends? Join another extracurricular or focus on the three you’re already involved in?

Finding the right balance may seem challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few ways to put your college life on a smooth glide path.

Set Realistic Goals

You’re used to being scheduled, and you think, “I did it in high school, I can do it in college!” It’s great to participate in a variety of different activities in college, but you need to set expectations and be realistic about what you can and can’t do. You may not be able to do as many things as you did before, and that’s OK.

Start slowly and gradually build up to participating in more activities, programs, and groups on campus. Your academics should always be your first priority, so make sure they’re at the top of your list. Only add in other activities once you feel like you have a good sense of the time you need to commit to your studies. For many reasons, one activity you definitely want to prioritize is your AISES College Chapter. [https://www.aises.org/membership/directory]

Manage Your Time Effectively

Once you’ve set some realistic expectations for your college life, make sure you learn how to effectively manage your time. Make a weekly calendar electronically or on paper showing time in class, time for studying, extracurriculars, free time, and sleep. Being able to view everything at once will help you see if you’re spending too much— or not enough — time on a specific area, or if you need to adjust your schedule to better accommodate what needs to get done that week. Apps such as Trello, Evernote, and Google Calendar can be effective ways to manage your schedule and keep from getting overwhelmed.

Get Some Rest

Getting a good night’s sleep will do wonders for you in college and beyond! Sleep gives your body time to rest and reset, to ward off germs, and to truly relax. Studies have shown that college students are not getting enough sleep. This can lead to poor grades, mental health problems, and impairment issues (such as difficulty making decisions). Why take the risk? Instead of pushing yourself to pull one more all-nighter, stop, get some sleep, and come back to the problem at hand when your body has had a chance to recharge.

Don’t Forget about Downtime

Between class, papers, projects, and other commitments, it may seem like you have zero free time. We often just want to power through everything, but that can quickly lead to burnout, stress, fatigue, and illness — all things that will not help you balance your life on campus! Allow for some downtime in your schedule. Whether this is hanging out with friends or a few hours reading alone, allow yourself time to breathe and disconnect from the rigors of college life.

Learn to Say No

This may be the hardest thing students learn in college — many don’t learn it until senior year! College is all about trying new things and getting involved, but you can definitely be too involved. You can say no to joining that committee or going out on Friday night with your friends. Learning to say no allows you to take more control of your life on campus, and to create a schedule that works for you. That doesn’t mean you say no to everything. Listen to your body, learn when you are spreading yourself too thin and get comfortable saying no. Sitting out chances to socialize or go to one more event doesn’t make you boring or selfish, it makes you smart for knowing your limits.

Learning how to effectively balance your life on campus doesn’t happen overnight. Everyone’s process is different, as is everyone’s individual idea of balance. Do what feels right to you. Know that it will take some time to work out the right balance. Try some of the tips here to help find a good balance that’ll allow you to enjoy your time on campus and thrive academically and personally. What you learn won’t end in college — you’ll be able to apply this skill to the rest of your life. Happy balancing!

On Topic

Devon Isaacs is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She earned her BA in psychology at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla. She is currently in her third year of Utah State University’s clinical/counseling PhD program, where she studies the intersection of culture and mental health. She is a Presidential Doctoral Research Fellow and Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow and serves as a student representative for the Society of Indian Psychologists. She is currently working with her advisor to implement a Howard Hughes Inclusive Excellence grant at USU. Upon completing her degree, Isaacs hopes to contribute to the field of mental health by working with her tribe to build on empirical research and culturally competent therapeutic practice. Her long-term goal is to teach at the university level to address the need for supporting Native American students seeking careers in the social sciences.

When you first arrived on campus, did you find it difficult to manage your time?

Absolutely. As an undergraduate it was difficult to balance school, work, and family. I learned a lot of skills for managing my time through trial and error. Graduate school was a whole new learning curve that really tested those skills. In the first year, I found I was doing things like forgetting to eat and was rarely taking care of my physical health. The “aha” moment came from connecting to people in my research lab, my advisor, and members of my cohort. If I wasn’t taking care of myself mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, I wasn’t going to be effective as a student or a human being. It all came down to not effectively managing and valuing my time.

What were some of the biggest challenges to life on campus in terms of balancing your workload with other activities?

I’m a “give everything 110 percent” kind of person, but this isn’t sustainable. Certainly, I was not realistic in the beginning about how much of my time and resources I had to give. So it’s important to draw attention to the challenge of boundary setting. Over time I learned that it’s OK to prioritize what’s important to you. It’s OK to put a project aside for a few days while you tend to your family responsibilities. It’s OK to not be pressured into speaking for your entire race, or to not have to always educate others on what it means to be an Indigenous person. Boundary setting works for homework and research projects too. I’ll set myself a given amount of time to write a paper or study, and then I’ll keep my “appointment” with the gym. Communicating your boundaries to others is key, and they can help hold you accountable.

Were you involved with clubs, sports, or other activities? How were you able to find the time?

A lot of my work involves advocating for Native students and Native communities. Many of the groups I’m involved in, like the Society of Indian Psychologists, have similar missions. I try to align what I value with the values present in my extracurricular activities. AISES, for example, is an incredible way to enhance both my academic and non-academic life. I might present research at the conference, but I’ve also made incredible connections with incredible people. I always come away with new ideas and a fresh outlook. Pick one or two activities that you value and give them your attention. If you’re drawn to other activities that aren’t helping you stay connected or adding value to your life in some way, evaluate whether you have time to commit to them. When something is fulfilling it’s well worth the time.

Did you seek help from other students or groups in getting used to college life?

Yes, and I highly encourage others to do so. I know some college settings are very competitive and don’t foster this kind of collaboration. That can be very difficult. When you do find a group willing to share their experiences, ask questions. What worked for them? What didn’t? Is what I’m feeling normal? Talking with other students is also where I learned about things like citation managers for research and other tips and tricks for working smarter, not harder. Sometimes it’s as simple as getting tips for living: where to find the free food events on campus, what stores give student discounts, or the best place to get a haircut. Everything feels smoother when you have more pieces of the puzzle. When things feel smoother you can tackle any barriers you encounter in a healthier way.

What advice would you give to a freshman who is experiencing college life for the first time?

Make connections with people early on. Isolation can occur very easily in higher education and greatly impact mental health. As an introvert, I had to learn this the hard way. When I finally started making the effort to foster those connections, I realized that I wasn’t the only one struggling. Often, there were solutions for things like time management and adjusting to campus life that I was just missing out on. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask for help. This is something I still struggle with. If you don’t know what classes to enroll in, ask for help. If you don’t know how the meal plan works, ask for help. It can take a lot of courage to ask for help. Plan to be courageous every day.

Any tips for students who are finding it difficult to manage their time?

I’m going to call this “Seven Tips for Being a More Effective Human.” I learned a lot of these from mentors like my advisor, as well as from advanced students and peers.

1. Make a schedule, whether it’s electronic or paper. Schedule in everything that requires your attention during the day, including meals, sleep, and self-care. You’ll have a really good visual for how you use your time that will also keep you from overcommitting.
2. Stick to your schedule. Certainly, there are times when you’ll have to shift things around, and some flexibility is good. The main idea is to set boundaries and respect and value your own time. If you scheduled in 4–5 p.m. for the gym, respect that. If you scheduled in a Saturday to visit your family, respect that.
3. Find ways to help you make the most of your academic responsibilities. As I mentioned before, tools like citation managers or study techniques like the Pomodoro Method can greatly improve your productivity and help you use your time more effectively.
4. Be mindful of your environment. What is distracting you? You can turn your social media off during study time to help you be more mindful. Ask yourself, where do you work best and under what conditions? Then set yourself up for success.
5. Schedule in time for self-care. If you are crispy around the edges from burnout, you won’t be an effective student. Find out what fills your self-care bucket. Alternately, find out what pokes holes in that bucket and try to eliminate or at least minimize some of these things. Chances are, the Netflix isn’t really filling your bucket. Take a walk or spend time with friends instead.
6. Learn about imposter syndrome early. You can find a good resource here: https://time.com/5312483/how-to-deal-with-impostor-syndrome/. Imposter syndrome can impact self-esteem and cause us to squander our time worrying what other people think of us. It can even impact our motivation to start and finish assignments and projects. It’s very common, even in people we view as successful.
7. Finally, show yourself some love. Native American students make up around 1 percent of students in higher education. If you are reading this, you’ve made it. It won’t be easy. You are going to struggle. But you are also resilient and strong. The world needs change-makers like you. You are valuable. Read that again. Write it on your bathroom mirror. Bead it on your graduation cap. You matter. Now go make your ancestors proud.