Like most students, I struggle to find the right balance between my schoolwork and personal life. Since I entered college, I learned that there is more time required outside of class to learn and work on the material than in high school. Each professor expects a certain number of hours each student spends on their class. Most weeks I can meet those expectations, but other weeks it can be difficult. A lot of my classes are not easy, and they require that I spend most of my week studying the material. For instance, I am taking medical microbiology this semester and my entire grade for the class relies only on four tests throughout the semester. So, if I fail a test, twenty five percent of my grade is affected, and I cannot get that grade up. No pressure, right? Although my other classes are less intense than my biology class, they still require me to spend a lot of time outside class.
Besides my classes requiring a lot of time, finding time for friends and hobbies has also been a challenge. I like to complete everything all at once, so it is a challenge when most of my schoolwork requires me to work on it in steps. When I do stop schoolwork to relax or spend time with my friends, I always have this feeling that I should be working on an assignment. I have had to learn that it is okay to have breaks from schoolwork as long as I am on top of what needs to get done when. Everyone needs a mental break from school once in a while. I have found a good balance for myself, and from deadline to downtime I can effectively use my time.
