As finals season approaches and the semester comes to an end, I feel that it is time to shed light on something that I know many people in college struggle with and that is balance. College comes with a lot of different facets. You have to focus on your academics while also being social and networking while also being involved in organizations or sports while also maintaining your personal health both mental and physical. There’s a lot of independence coming at one time and it can be overwhelming. For some of us though, there’s an added layer on top of all the stress of college and that is working.
In my time at my university, I’ve noticed that a lot of the people who are able to have so many positions on campus, to be heavily involved, to maintain a strong social life, and stay on top of their academics are those who have that extra time that some people don’t have. That’s not to say they have it easier, or that anybody else has it harder. It is simply something that can make being successful in college a little more challenging. As an independent student myself, paying for college through grants and loans and having my own apartment. I have found it very challenging to put my all into school as I am stretched in many different directions. I have worked since I was 14 years old and coming to college didn’t take that responsibility away. In order to provide for myself, to be able to have the money to go out with my friends or pay dues or sustain living off-campus, I have to have a job. A lot of people I’m sure are in a similar position. It can be hard trying to do it all at once. When the interest meeting is at 6pm but you work from 4-9 or when that event or that study session you really need to go to is at 7pm but you work until 10pm and you can’t call off. When you need to have money to eat and buy your toiletries so you work that whole week but it drains you so much that you struggle to complete your assignments. You can’t give one up for the other, you’re caught between a rock and a hard place.
In college it can feel isolating to not be as involved or to be too busy outside of school to really be there. You wanna go to all the events and meet more people and do everything all at once but it just doesn’t work out that way. The college experience is different for everybody and some people want to be a part of things that others don’t. But when it feels like your responsibilities are holding you back from the important things you start to feel like you have been given the short end of the stick. I know I myself have days where I feel anxious or down on myself because I want to do more, I want to be a full time student and really delve into the college experience. But, I have to work and though my parents will do anything to change that for me, it isn’t something they can really fix.
So, if you’re a full time student working a part time job and trying to balance all those things that come with college, you’re not alone. It may be hard to feel content with the way things are but trust that you will find a way to accomplish your goals and handle your responsibilities and when you walk across that stage, everything will have been worth it. Even the things that made the journey feel so hard, they only make us that much stronger.