Whether it’s navigating the freshman socialization frenzy or being brutally crushed by a bad case of senioritis and all the stressors in between, the demands of college life can make students feel like hamsters running on cog wheels. The cycle is relentless as undergraduates are pulled in all directions, overcome by the desire to make new friends and dive into interesting activities all while keeping up with rigorous coursework.
But, how exactly can students break out of these negative patterns?
This epidemic of exhaustion and burnout, thankfully, seems to have a cure—one that each individual must tailor to their goals and circumstances.
One of the foundations to establishing a healthy balance between classes and one’s work life is a good routine—a schedule molded to an individual’s strengths and weaknesses. Even if it seems simple and cliché, transitioning from a life of stress to mental freedom requires a significant lifestyle change, where students must factor in their greatest struggles or the points that aren’t sticking in their current way of living.
Whether that means finally setting up a Google Calendar or clearly devising one’s semesterly goals, self-discipline and self-awareness are the first steps to realizing one’s potential to be free from time’s chase and to limit stress.
Through his work with the University of Arizona College of Science, Alexander Kimura supports students with a variety of career interests, ranging from computer science to the atmospheric sciences. As a current career coach, he has seen the common struggles of undergraduates firsthand.
“I’ve met students before, where they dive into an internship and a club and they got all their regular schoolwork and another part-time job on top of it,” Kimura said. “They haven’t really mapped out how much time each activity is going to take up.”
Overcommitment is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tackling academic collapse. At a deeper level, students may be driven by the pressure to “not miss out” or live up to the university student ideal of social and academic excellence. But, while grades and community involvement are important tools in reaching one’s career aspirations, the college experience is meant to extend beyond these superficial factors.
“Yes, internships are important. Yes, getting that professional experience is important. Yes, keeping up with classes is important,” says Kimura. “But, you have to learn what your limits are, and, once you do, you have to determine how much time you can set aside for each activity.”
The truth is that the college academic journey is not only designed for students to specialize in an area of interest, but to also explore the different avenues that they could take, knowing their passions. Along this path, change is inevitable and individuals often have to come face-to-face with their weaknesses. Most times, this means recognizing the strategies that work and the decisions that don’t work based on past failures and experiences.
“Having a goal per week is great,” says Amanda Harrell, a past career and internship coach at the University of Arizona. “Have a plan and be open to what you are going to learn and prepare with however you learn best.”
Currently working with the Institute of Computation and Data-Enabled Insight, Harrell advises students to slowly integrate better academic habits into their schedule. It can be overwhelming to follow a completely new routine all at once and forming a system to get more accustomed to a healthier work schedule can prove to be beneficial for long-term consistency.
As per Harrell, developing a personal strategy benefitted her motivation, while also allowing her to allot time for breaks.
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