Balancing Academics & Life Commitments
Balancing College & Social Life is Not an Easy Task
Life does not just pause for four years while you work towards getting your degree.
Many students are caretakers for their families, work outside jobs, are part of multiple clubs/organizations, play varsity sports, take on an internship, conduct research, or engage in some other activity that extends beyond classroom academics.
Some students may be master jugglers – appearing to have the ability to stay on top of all their commitments and maintain a high-grade point average all at once. However, many more students struggle with balancing it all, often playing a vicious game of give and take in deciding which areas to give attention to while letting other areas fall to the wayside.
As an academic advisor, academic coach, and a former overachiever, I am going to provide some tips and tricks to balance your academics and other commitments.
Tips & Tricks for Balancing Your Academics & Other Commitments
Mastering Organization for Lasting Change
If you have multiple commitments to keep track of, you absolutely must remain organized. Organization is an ongoing process that requires upkeep and should include the prioritization of tasks, creation of a daily/weekly/monthly schedule, and minimization of procrastination.
Figure Out a Scheduling System
Staying organized is also about figuring out what works best for you. Some students like having a physical planner that they use color-coded pens and fun stickers in to keep track of due dates and important events but other students like using online methods such as the Outlook calendar or the calendar app on your smart phone. Some students just input their course times and event times whereas others will go even further and schedule in time to use for homework or studying.
Prioritize Your Tasks
Considering the priority of tasks can help avoid procrastination and turning in assignments late. A method for prioritizing your tasks could be making a to-do list for the week on Sunday, putting the most pressing items at the top followed by the least pressing items/items due later in the week. When you may be feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to start, you can pull this list out and start at the top and work your way down.
Leveraging Support Services
Having multiple commitments as well as academics can sometimes be overwhelming. Widener has many academic enrichment services to help when you are feeling like you may be falling behind in courses or not comprehending the material. As soon as you begin feeling confused or behind, reach out to these services – the earlier intervention, the better outcome!
Faculty Mentors Can Help You Manage Classroom Requirements
Professors are an excellent resource. They typically provide open office hour times in the syllabus where students can come and ask about anything (exam/assignment feedback, questions about lessons/readings, help with an upcoming assignment, etc.) but if the office hour time does not work for you, do not be afraid to email your professor and ask if you can meet with them at a different time. Professors care about their students and want to help but they cannot help if they do not know you need it!
Academic Coaches & Peer Tutors Can Help You Build Positive Habits
We also have academic coaches and peer tutors at Widener. An academic coach can help you reflect on your studying habits, explore test-taking strategies, test out new time management methods, and more whereas a peer tutor can help you work through specific course content that you may be struggling with. Sometimes talking through challenges with another person and exploring options from a different perspective can help open a whole new world of solutions that you have not thought of on your own!
Academic Advisors Can Help You Stay on Track with Your Program Progress
Academic advisors play a crucial role in helping you navigate your program requirements and stay on track. They provide personalized guidance, helping you understand your course prerequisites and make informed decisions about your academic path. By regularly meeting with your advisor, you can ensure you're meeting your goals and making the most of your academic experience.
Prioritizing Self-Care
Having too many commitments can sometimes result in spreading yourself too thin. When this happens, aspects of your life may begin to suffer – inadequate sleep, irregular eating habits, burnout, and lack of socializing. All of these can negatively affect your physical and mental health. To stay healthy while maintaining your responsibilities, it’s essential to make self-care a priority.
Recognizing & Addressing Burnout
Burnout often shows up as constant fatigue, loss of motivation, and difficulty focusing. If you feel increasingly overwhelmed or notice a drop in productivity, these may be early signs of burnout. To prevent it from escalating, take a step back, reassess your commitments, and make time for rest and self-care. Small, consistent steps—like prioritizing sleep and saying no when necessary—can help you restore balance.
Nourish Yourself with a Balanced Diet & Sleep
Physical items such as eating balanced meals and sleeping roughly eight hours a night are the basics, but we also want to ensure that you are balanced mentally as well. You should be focusing on academic and socializing, not just one or the other.
Know When to Say "No" & Set Healthy Boundaries
Overcommitting in one area can cause other aspects of your life to suffer. Learning to say no is crucial. For example, if you are the event chair of your sorority, and you are already doing all of the planning for recruitment week on your own to the point that you are turning in assignments late and one of your sisters asks if you can help them with painting decorations, you may have to say no even though you feel bad doing so.
Regular, intentional self-care is key to preventing burnout. Whether you dedicate one day a week to a ‘Sunday reset’ or carve out a few hours each day to focus on yourself, time for decompression is essential. Finding the self-care routine that works for you may take trial and error, but it's an important part of maintaining balance in all areas of life.
Find the Balance that Works for You
Despite all the tips and tricks, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to balancing your school life with your social life. It all depends on your personal needs and what works best for you. Take advice with a grain of salt, listen to what feels right, and focus on what makes you happiest.
Widener is an exciting place with so many opportunities, both academically and socially. We want you to take advantage of all it has to offer, but we also want you to be balanced and successful in the things you choose to do! Staying organized, using support services, and engaging in self-care is a recipe for balanced success.
Alexis Kapij is the Associate Director of Advising in the Office of Student Success where she works mostly in advising Exploratory Studies students. Alexis started her career in Clinical Mental Health Counseling but made a pivot to higher education through residence life before her role at Widener. She is currently a doctoral student in Drexel’s Education Leadership & Management program.