There are students that don’t seem to have any trouble determining how to manage their different aspects of university life.  They have no difficulty balancing academic and social priorities in college and have well rounded, successful student lives.  In some cases, these students have a good idea of how important both social and academic concerns are to a healthy existence, and in some cases, they’re simply better at managing conflicts.  This post is for the rest of us, those who need some help.

Balancing different aspects of your life is really a skill you can learn.  When you get to college, you’re suddenly confronted with an entirely different schedule.  Rather than several classes on a subject each week, for the most part you will visit a subject only twice.  On many days, you may have only one or two classes.  In addition, your deadlines are known well in advance and the deadlines are often days or weeks ahead.  In short, while college demands are very structured, the process for accomplishing them is far less structured than high school.  Therefore, you need to learn to manage your time more effectively.

This isn’t to say you should give up a social life.  What you want to do is find a way to ensure your study requirements are completed prior to the party.  Balancing academic and social priorities in college is all about making sure the work is done.  If you do, there will be plenty of time for fun.  Here are some tips to help you out.

Manage Your Dorm Life

Many students will find it helpful to do work outside of the dorm at the library or even at a coffee shop or the student union.  This minimizes distractions as well as temptation and helps you to do academics when it’s time for academics.

Don’t Think Social Means Party

There are lots of socialization opportunities that don’t involve sex, drugs, and alcohol.  You can join clubs, go to movies, attend concerts, and do a host of other things.  It’s usually when socialization becomes nothing more than partying that it interferes with your balancing academic and social priorities in college.

Find Someone to Be Accountable To

One action you can take that might help is to determine a trusted advisor such as a counselor or a professor who can help you keep on track.  Explain the difficulty you’re having keeping things in balance and ask for some assistance.  Your advisor might have some excellent ideas for study groups, habits, and locations as well as some healthy social opportunities that can meet that need as well.

Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of either-or thinking.  You can have a social life and still meet all of your academic requirements and even excel.  Simply focus on your own priorities and actively decide to live your life according to them.  When you do, you’ll discover that balancing academic and social priorities in college isn’t nearly as difficult as you might think.

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