Academics play a crucial role in students’ life since they depict their accomplishments and significantly impact their future. But focusing on academics only is a road to failure. Extracurriculars offer a platform for students to unleash their potential and skills beyond coursework. Extracurricular activities enhance learning, develop intelligence, and cultivate a strong character and personality. The idea that intelligence and personality are only linked to education is flawed, and academics and extracurricular activities should go hand in hand.
In today’s competitive era, individuals must be competent in every field, and the pressure on children from parents and teachers to become all-rounders is immense. Therefore, students must balance academics and extracurricular activities to sustain this pressure. College is a place to learn, and time management is one of the essential skills to obtain.
Challenges Students Face When Trying To Find a Balance
On the one hand, it seems that academics and co-curricular should go hand-in-hand without any trouble. The reason for it is the requirements of organizations students attend. For example, to be a successful athlete and play in a respectable division, one needs to maintain academic performance at a good level. On the other hand, however, it turns out that juggling these spheres of life is a huge problem for students. Many even decide to order college paper help when they feel they can’t cope with the workload.
It’s great that students know how to solve their problems, but the bad thing is that they don’t know how to prevent them. So don’t worry; we’ll offer a set of strategies below. But before we actually do it, it’s better to understand the exact challenges college students face:
- Time constraints. College students often have limited time to devote to academics and extracurricular activities due to various commitments such as part-time jobs, internships, and social events.
- Academic workload. College workload can be demanding and time-consuming, leaving little time for extracurricular activities. In addition, curricula get more and more complicated each year, making students study harder to meet the labor market requirements. As a result, people need to prioritize knowledge over all-around development.
- Some extracurricular activities, such as sports and clubs, require a significant time commitment and may involve competition for spots on teams or leadership positions. It’s hard to stand the competition in academics and extracurriculars at once and succeed in both.
- Trying to balance too many activities can lead to burnout, exhaustion, and decreased academic performance. Students don’t get enough sleep, get stressed day by day, have no time to rest, and can’t focus their attention on studying.
- It can be challenging for students to prioritize activities, leading to overcommitment and stress. However, both spheres of their life are important and this uncertainty is tiring.
Even considering the abundance of problems the presence of extracurriculars causes, students can’t refuse them. They are only called ‘extra’ – in reality, they are necessary. If you don’t participate in any extracurriculars, you won’t be able to stand out in the admissions.
How To Successfully Juggle Your Activities?
We are here to help every student understand that college years can be happy. You’ve come to the right place if you lose faith in enjoying your studying and extracurriculars. Let’s discuss the strategies and approaches that’ll transform your life.
Schedule everything you do
If you don’t have a list of all activities you’re involved in and don’t set a specific time for each one, you won’t be able to live at such a pace. It’s important to know how much time in a day you spend on classes, homework, sports, and other activities. If you cannot define it, spend a few weeks in the normal rhythm and calculate the time. By carefully scheduling and prioritizing, you can make time for every essential aspect of your life, such as academics, extracurricular activities, and personal matters.
Begin by adding your classes and school-related activities to your calendar. Then, plan your extracurricular activities in a way that won’t overwhelm you each week. Additionally, dedicate a few hours daily to completing necessary tasks like studying, homework, exercise, and rest.
Learn time management techniques
The Pomodoro technique and time blocking are two time management strategies that can be highly successful in boosting output. With the Pomodoro approach, work is divided into intervals of generally 25 minutes, followed by brief pauses. Those who have trouble maintaining their focus for long periods of time may find this method helpful.
On the other hand, time blocking involves setting aside specific blocks of time for particular tasks or activities. This technique can be useful for individuals with many different daily obligations and who must allocate their time accordingly. In addition, this strategy will help you deal with academic matters faster.
Prioritize academics
The matter of priority here is bilateral. On the one hand, both activities are important and it would be great if you devote equal time to them. But on the other hand, we understand it’s not always possible. Although extracurricular activities can be a fun and valuable part of the college experience, it’s important to remember that academics should always come first.
Your primary goal as a college student should be to learn and excel in your classes, which is why you are attending college in the first place. Your college success will be determined by your grades and ability to apply what you’ve learned after graduation.
Learn to refuse
It’s not uncommon for students to feel pressure to participate in extracurricular activities, even when they know that doing so will negatively impact their grades or interfere with their studies during exams. Unfortunately, many students struggle to say “no” to these activities, whether out of fear of disappointing their teachers or parents or simply because they feel obligated to participate.
However, it’s important for students to recognize their limitations and be honest with themselves and others about what they can realistically handle. If you’re feeling overburdened or overbooked, saying “no” to additional commitments is okay. Your physical and mental health should stay good.
The Bottom Line
We decided not to discuss all the existing strategies but to focus on the most effective ones. Try them, and you won’t need to reinvent the wheel. They are time-tested, and hundreds of real-life situations prove their effectiveness. Keep in mind that participating in extracurricular activities can enhance your college experience, as well as promote personal growth and development. However, it’s crucial to maintain a balance and not sacrifice your academic performance, health, or other crucial areas of life. Strike a healthy balance between your academics and extracurricular activities!
