By Caleb Wheeler | Staff Writer
As a freshman entering college, it is easy to get swept up in the newness of everything and to sign on to do too much too soon. To current freshmen considering new activities and to future students: Do not do this.
I had to sit down with my community leader for dinner to discuss my stressful schedule, and I found that I was doing 20 hours of activities every day. This was obviously not manageable, so I had to cut down on some things and cut out other things entirely.
My suggestion to students is to start with no more than three activities. Once you can successfully manage those, add one — just one. Then, as more things become manageable, sign on for another activity if you want, but consider just how much time you are giving up when you do. Remember that last-minute events with friends inevitably come up as well, so they are going to take away your availability too.
However, one thing needs to be prioritized over all of these things.
As a student, your first priority is your education. This is something I have lost sight of a few times. It is important to remember that if you fail your classes, you cannot participate in these activities, so you should put school first.
Another thing to consider when filling your schedule is the importance of sleep. I personally need about 10 hours of sleep if I am going to make it through the day without caffeine. I have not slept more than seven hours on a weekday since starting college, which has been bad for me.
Students need to remember that school is the most important thing in college, and sleep should be the next consideration. Once those two priorities are in order, students can consider adding extra activities. At that point, it can be hard to decide which activities are most important, but I recommend starting with the ones that consistently bring you the most joy and then adding more as you can fit them into your schedule.
