By Megan Walsh, Staff Writer
DO’S
You’ve probably heard it said that in school you have three options: grades, sleep and a social life. The catch is, as the saying goes, you can only pick two of them and have to give up the third. So depending on the type of person you are, you choose your two and think you’ll have the rest of your life to catch up on what you had to give up.
What some of my fellow freshman don’t seem to get, is that this rule really shouldn’t be taken seriously. Yes, I am talking to the people who are reading this in the Axinn Library while obsessing over their notes on why the North won the Civil War, the people who have no idea what I’m talking about when I say Axinn Library and those whose room is full of the 5 hour energy drinks. First of all, the library should not be the only place you go, especially on the weekend. Part of the point of college is to explore life and the opportunities it can hold. Sure, it’s true that the library is a great place to study (especially if your on the 10th floor), but I’ve found that there are those who can become obsessed at an unhealthy level. That said, at the same time it’s still obviously not bright to keep sleeping through the review class or spend the night before your midterm out partying.
DON’TS
Try to balance life out. It’s easier said than done, true, but there are things we can all do to achieve that balance. Try, for example, getting off Facebook and actually planning out the day. Believe it or not, it is actually possible to survive without Facebook chat and apps for a couple of hours or so. Get the work you need done and take a dinner break with some friends somewhere on campus. Maybe even set aside time to take a nap for a half hour or more.
As far as the clubs and extra activities go, try refocusing your attention on a few specific areas. It is always good to have a wide variety of interests and just generally be a well rounded person. These things can even open doors to meeting some great friends. However, if there’s just too much to do, this is usually a good place to cut back.
The point is don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re struggling to find that balance of school, friends, and sleep since most of us are. Keep in mind that compromising too much in any one area will not help. In fact it will probably ultimately leave you miserable. There’s really no other way to say it, so whether you’re one of the extremists or just someone who’s trying to get by in your first semester at Hofstra, get a planner, take time out to organize, and chill out! We’ll get to graduation before you know it.