How to have it all: Balancing school and a social life

As USC students we have learned the importance of time management to be successful in the classroom, but time management goes beyond juggling all your class assignments. It is important to juggle both your school and social life.

College students are constantly balancing life’s priorities. Though the thought of going out with your friends is a little more tempting than studying the phases of the moon for your astronomy midterm, you shouldn’t let studying take away from your happiness — or at least not all the time.  

Let’s think about economics for a minute. Even if you have not taken an economics class, there is one important concept called the law of diminishing returns. Let’s use this concept in terms of studying. After about three hours of studying for your physics exam, you cannot function as well as you did at the beginning. This means that eventually you will need to take a break in order to re-energize. This is a perfect opportunity to hangout with your friends or a significant other. Take a break with your friends by going to get lunch, workout or watch your favorite television show. It will make that last stretch of studying much easier to get through.

Now, there are certainly times where my friends and I are all so busy with schoolwork and extracurricular activities that we do not have time to do an all-day activity together, like going to beach. However, remember that study breaks can be short and sweet — and can involve just leaving the library for a quick coffee break with a friend. If it’s really crunch time and you do not have time to take a study break, then go on a study date. This way you can bond with your friends at your favorite coffee shop or study spot while still being productive. Furthermore, studying will be more enjoyable if you have your best friend sitting next to you as you try to digest the complexity of organic chemistry. This way, you’ll also have someone there for support because we all know that studying all day at a library can make you go a little stir crazy.

If you get too distracted studying with friends, then use seeing your friends as a reward for finishing studying, or at least getting to a certain point in your notes. This can be a good motivator, and it’s nice to have something to look forward to like some quality time with your friends making dinner, going to a bar or playing video games.

Another gesture that can go a long way is turning your friend’s stressful day around by doing something sweet for them. You can brighten their day by getting them a venti Starbucks latte for an extra boost of energy or by sending a “good luck on your test” text message. If you are the one having a stressful week it is important to communicate with your friends so that they know not tempt you with a Netflix marathon.

Remember that your friends are there to lean on. All of us know that school gets stressful, especially during midterm season. You cannot get out of studying for your exams so make it more enjoyable by going through the pain of studying with your friends! One of my favorite memories is when my sorority sisters and I created songs in order to memorize all the different parts of the brain for one of our general education courses. Make sure to keep up with your studies but have an active social life too. These are the friends who will stick with you even after graduation, because we are all part of the Trojan Family.