UNIVERSITY: A LIFE OF BALANCE - Rachel Shodipe (23/09/2013)

Think about the word university…Now what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?

If it’s anything other than getting that degree, you may need to re-order your priorities.

Home away from home and getting caught up

The pots and the plates, TVs (TV licence anyone?), the 

clothes for the girls, the trainers for the guys or vice versa. Whatever you are buying, you are buying something. With the realisation for some that moving out is just around the corner, the anticipation of a lifestyle change is always expected.

Whether or not you are used to the freedom already, uni life never fails to offer that much more.

So fresher’s week, is truly the week of the year, with something happening 24/7. The raves, the fairs, bargain offers, and free food, doesn't make it too bad for a first week. To be fair the whole of first year can seem like fresher’s week, but responsibility kicks in when you have that first assignment due at midnight and that 10pm rave…can you do it? Obviously, if you do it right.

Prioritise

It’s easy to get caught up in the uni life and forget what you

 are there for, until you have your alarm clock singing at 7am the morning after a night out. Simple solution? Do the work when you get it.

Easier said than done, but organisation is key. You only 

really find yourself fighting for time if you haven’t planned ahead. Excluding fresher’s week, most events happen on set days or at times of the year, when most people can afford to party and plan ahead.

So why start your week old assignment the day of that foam party, when you could be picking your outfit or having a drink.

Lecturers understand the uni life, and are usually fair when

 setting deadlines and offering help. But let’s be real, emailing your lecturer/tutor at 11:47pm for help on deadline day? Don’t set yourself up to fail.

Balance & enjoy

Three key things;

Don’t bite of more than you can chew: Most times people sign up for events, clubs and societies they never take part in or attend. It’s all part of the fresher’s buzz, but remember there’s only one of you. Join what you can afford to join (literally not everything is free) and what you can make time for.

Remember what you came for: whether you are a gym freak, choirmaster, cheerleader, hard-core raver or even a baker. Everything comes second to getting that degree. Once that’s securely the top priority, start filling the list with other things important to you and allocate your time to work with the order.

Organisation: This brings together prioritising, organisation  

 and all the above. It’s the difference to having some free time, and panicking at the night time. Fresher packs usually provide you with calendars amongst other stuff. Utilise it and start marking down dates as you get them (raves and deadlines included) not detailed enough? Start a weekly to-do list, or download wunderlist or evernote, apps that can easily help you to organise your time.

Heard it all before? 

Then put it into practice and watch the results in the end