“Dropping the ball” isn’t a colloquialism that I thought too much about before I started college. Once I did though, I realized I needed to concentrate really hard on keeping the juggling act going.
My freshman year I was working a full– time job, going to class full– time, and working at the on-campus paper. Everything was so up in the air that I was sure it would come crashing down at any second.
My sob story isn’t unique. I was just one of the many, many, many students trying to keep their sanity because their day to day lives are so jam packed. Students are expected to make good grades, have a job to be an adult to pay their bills and have an internship to get into a career and the field they want so their parent’s’ money or financial debt won’t go to waste. I think at some point, we all wonder: is it even possible for me to finish all the things I need to get done?.
Math was never my strong suit, but let’s crunch some numbers. A typical student goes to school about 12 hours a week. Internships are encouraged, if not required, for most majors, which usually require you to work anywhere from 10-20 hours a week. Most internships don’t pay, and if they do it isn’t much. So, you have to get a part-time job to pay for that drinking habit you’ve developed from all your stress. Part– time is on average anywhere from 20-25 hours. There are seven days in a week and 24 hours in each day. So out of the available 168 hours, at minimum only 61 hours are left after deducting eight hours of sleep you get at night (because we all totally get that). That doesn’t include the time it takes to do your hair or your homework or travel to these jobs, or internships or school.
The numbers are overwhelming, and usually, staring at your schedule can be too. I can’t tell you how many hours (which I don’t have many of, apparently) I have agonized over how I will fit in everything I need to do for the next day to function at bare basics in every facet of my life.
Just remember to keep your eye on the ball. If it drops, all you can do is pick it back up. After all, no juggler got it right on their the first try.