How to Keep Your Sanity in College

College is stressful and overwhelming for the most part. There will be times when you'll want to quit or feel a little over your head, but you know it's important to stick it out. To help you, if you just take a moment to relax and breathe, you'll find a way or two to keep your sanity intact.

1

→ Remind yourself of why the college time matters. Never lose sight of why you're enrolled in school in the first place. Most often, it's likely that you're there to better yourself and your family. Always keep that in mind.

2

→ Don't overstate your despair. There may be times when you stray away from the path you've essentially started but that's okay because we all do. Just so long as you make your way back, you'll be fine, and small deviations won't make a huge dent into your overall plan.

3

→ Reduce the time spent partying. It may sound corny, but it's true––parties and having a social life may seem to hold weight when you first arrive to campus, but don't be fooled. Don't get lost and caught up in your social life. It's all fun and games until your “friends” graduate and you don't.

4

→ Stick to a schedule that keeps you focused on the end goals. Get a planner and use it. Mark down due dates, study periods, revision times, etc., and stay focused on following your plan.

→ Check your schedule before agreeing to more than you can handle; don't overbook yourself. If you have to second guess your availability, don't agree to doing it until you've checked your schedule. Complete things by their deadline and you'll be fine.

→ As long as everything is written down, nothing will come as a surprise. All of your due dates should be marked, highlighted or underlined; use anything that draws your attention.

5

→ Make an effort to understand what your professors are teaching you. How many times have you been involved in a conversation where someone has brought up a topic you remember learning about, but you couldn't participate in the conversation as thoroughly as you wanted to because you didn't quite remember all the details? That's because you didn't study to learn, you just studied to remember for the moment, to pass the test. There's a big difference between the two approaches. If you study to learn, you'll remember it forever. Besides, that's what you are in school in the first place, to learn––to use what's being taught to you later on down the road in your career field. Soak it all up. Make trips to the library, don't just study in your room because your room is full of distractions.

6

→ Highlight passages in your textbook, make notes. If something doesn't quite click, then ask a question. Help yourself understand. It'll all pay off in the end. You're paying for your education, so why not get as much out of it as you can?

7

→ Don't over consume yourself with work. Yes, it's good to study. Yes, it's great to be on your toes, but it isn't great to burn yourself out in books. The key to survival is any circumstance is balance and moderation. Knowing when and when not to do things.

→ If there is a party going on Thursday night and you have an 8 A.M. class the following day, don't go to the party. However, if your teacher doesn't take attendance and you have a friend who takes the class with you and they're willing to pass the notes off to you, then sure, go party. On the other hand, if you don't take that class with any of your friends and your professor is big on attendance and participation, then don't set yourself up for a fall. There will be other parties. It is not the end of the world.

8

→ Think things through thoroughly. If there's a party Friday and Saturday night, get a head-start on your work before the weekend, so that you can properly recuperate from your hangover on Sunday.