Finding Balance in a Hectic School Life

Hello all, Taylor here again!

Like most high school to college transitions, mine was overwhelming, busy, and while looking back on it now, quite blurry.  I stepped onto campus with one very motivated foot; I had big plans to join Greek Life, try out for the club soccer team, and meet everyone on my floor.

During my first week at UConn I settled into my room, familiarized myself with the campus, the food, and my schedule, and began making friends with the other students on my floor.  After a few leisurely days before the semester began, I found myself waist deep in homework and no room in my planner to even squeeze in a quick lunch.

After spending my first weekend on campus rushing Delta Gamma, I rolled right into a five day tryout period for the UConn Women’s Club Soccer team during the following school week.  Soon enough, it was time for the involvement fair.  The Involvement Fair takes place at the beginning of every semester and is located in the Student Union.  This is where every club will set up a booth with information and pictures as well as a representative.  If any clubs interest you, you may sign up to attend their first meeting of the semester.  Of course, I signed up for about five different clubs (Ski and Snowboard Club, Trampoline Club, and Art Club just to name a few) hoping to attend the first meeting and then narrow down my decision.  After attending Art Club’s first meeting, I knew this was something I needed to be involved in.  Art has always been a hobby of mine, something that I enjoy doing but never pursued too far (difficult to do when you’re a Pre-Med major). So I left the first Art Club meeting as their founding secretary!

Being involved at UConn is what makes our student body so spirited and active.  The biggest advice I could give to an incoming student is to get involved.  But there does come a point where you can spread yourself too thin and lack the necessity of personal time, separate from the busy day.  What I have found is when you take on too much, none of what you do is quite as enjoyable.  It is so important to make time for yourself to relax and unwind from a demanding schedule.

What I also discovered is that everyone has a different limit.  Some are very content with taking their classes and possibly having a small hobby on the side while others may feel the need to be much more involved in their student community.  It is crucial that you find your limit.  If you are one to bite off more than you can chew, you have to work on your time management skills to allot that necessary “me time”.

This is not meant to deter, but rather to encourage a healthy amount of involvement through the lessons I learned from my own mistakes.  Good luck!