One thing I learned from my freshman year
Freshman year taught me to how to find balance between school and my social life
If there’s one thing I learned from my freshman year at Purdue, it is that keeping a balance between academics and a social life is no easy task. When you’re leaning so far heavily to one side, it can be hard to find ways to balance the scale out again.
This is how I felt at the end of my first semester at Purdue. I didn’t make much effort to join or be actively involved in any clubs and while I definitely wanted to, I was spending so much time studying I thought it was impossible for me to fit more things into my schedule. I ended up getting stuck in this endless cycle of classes and then studying and then classes again.
To break the cycle, I tried to make small changes in my daily life. At the start of second semester, I pushed myself to make time to attend club callouts or meetings. Building these things into my schedule at the beginning of the semester before classes ramped up was really helpful for me breaking out of the cycle and moving towards a more balanced college life. Personally, the hardest part in finding that balance was motivating myself to take that first step. What motivated me was the realization that college was going by a lot faster than I expected and that there were so many opportunities that I could only experience in college.
During second semester, I became more involved in Purdue’s Piano Club, Filipino Association and USB. Joining these clubs gave me an outlet to studying which helped lessen the amount of burn out I felt. Moreover, it was a way for me to make new friends and find a community at Purdue. This semester, I worked alongside other PFA members to put on the association’s annual cultural show. Rehearsing and preparing for the show was time consuming which really forced me to manage my time better. Having things to do other than just studying helped me learn how to study more efficiently and take full advantage of the time I had. Although it was a lot of work to juggle everything, I had a stronger sense of accomplishment and motivation.
As the end of the second semester approaches, I can’t say that I have found that perfect balance yet. But, I have improved. I’ve learned that finding a good balance isn’t something that can be accomplished in a semester or even two semesters. Balance is something that is attained through incremental and consistent change. Moving forward, I know there will be times where the scale might have to tip more to one side, but at least now I know how to even it out again.
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