Heading to college can be a difficult time, but also an incredibly exciting time. Not only does a world of opportunity open its doors to you, but you will have a strong opportunity to really make something of yourself. At this point of your life, you are nothing but potential. This can be a very promising time, and you will likely feel the excitement.

However, just like in any stage of life, pressures will be on you. It might be that sustaining a good social life, while also working on your career and funding your studies all seem to want to take your attention. This can leave you feel stretched in many different directions. Consider the following habits to form around certain times in college life, and you will often find yourself balancing all of these plates successfully:

Socializing

Socializing at college is often something to consider well. Without it, you can often feel like you’re missing out. While studying at college is absolutely the main priority and should remain that way, there is usually a wealth of social experiences that you might need to consider. For example, it might be that heading to parties is not your style, but there could be an incredible amount of societies and causes that you feel incredibly happy to contribute to. If heading to parties, just be sure to be responsible.

It can often be tempting to try and present your best and most engaging self, but this might make you get into silly situations that are best avoided. Also remember that if heading to parties, sometimes ensuring you have a cleansing kit for the next day such as those found at Pass Your Test could help you refresh your mind and body, helping you apply yourself to:

Studies

Studying is important. It is the main reason you’re at work. For this reason, you need to have clinical control over your schedule, but also know how to study. You might have attended the library for ten hours one day, but how much work did you actually complete? Did you manage to pace yourself, absorb the information that counted, and refined your understanding of something before moving onto a more advanced topic? Studies can be hard to negotiate with, but if you’re diligent, you find help when you need it, you conduct wider reading around the subject and you grasp placement opportunities with both hands, you can surely make something of yourself, and learn skills that will sustain you throughout your entire working career.

Stress Reduction

Social stimulation and studying hard can often leave us feeling like we’re burning the candles at both ends. Remember that your mind and your body are the most important things here, because without either of them, pursuing positive progress in either of the directions you hope to will be impossible. Take care of your mind and stress, meditate and read for fun if you can. Take regular breaks, sleep enough, never feel forced to attend a party, let your tutor know if your work is just too much. Only work part-time, and never feel pressured to do anything you don’t want to.

Remember, while college is always an experience to apply yourself to, it would be nothing if you have to harm yourself to gain it. Instead, remember you are here for you, and hold yourself in the highest regard. From there, you will have a good perspective of the situation, and make the right decisions.

I wish you nothing but the best in your new college career.