2 answers
Skyler
Student
Lakeland, Florida
1
Question
Asked
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How do you maintain a work-life balance in college and one day your career? #Spring26
I am an aspiring general surgeon who is currently in college majoring in biomedical sciences and minoring in psychology and I find myself alone and studying more times than not. How do I still make time for the things that I love and for healthy friendships?
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2 answers
Jezlea Ortega
Tech Architecture
36
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Jezlea’s Answer
Hi Skyler! To stay organized, try planning your week every Sunday using a calendar. Assign colors for different activities, like blue for school from 9-2 and yellow for studying from 2-4. This helps you manage your time and ensures you fit in breaks to catch up with loved ones. Using phone apps makes this even easier and keeps everything on track.
Maggie Weglarz
Electrical Engineer
17
Answers
Schaumburg, Illinois
Updated
Maggie’s Answer
Hi Skyler -
You ask a very good question - this is something that I think most people have to work at to find the right balance! It takes time to find the balance that works for you.
Some ideas for while you are in college:
- Do you have friends in your major that you could study with on occasion?
- Do you have friends in your classes that you could spend 2 hours studying with and then spend time studying on your own?
- Do you have friends (whether in the same major or not) that would go to a coffee shop with you and study your own work but side by side?
- Is there an activity or club that you want to join that you could dedicate 1-2 hours a week to? Maybe you love art and want to join an art club and can spend 1 hour a week creating art (or whatever your interest is)
- Having a plan for the week of when/what you will study can help to find those pockets of time where you can have fun and do the things you enjoy
- Plan group dinners or 1:1 meals where you have intentional conversations with friends (even for 30 minutes!) - you could also make a standing lunch/dinner plan with a friend to ensure you can connect once a week (or every other week, or once a month, whatever works for you)
After college:
- Figure out what things are non-negotiables. For example, you will need to go to work for a certain amount of time each week. You also need to eat and do general hygiene. Then figure out what your other values are - friendships, family, hobbies. Again, making a schedule here can help show you when you have free time. I find that committing to something regularly is the best way to keep a habit. For example, I have a monthly bookclub where I see one group of friends, and I have 3-4x/week yoga to commit to my health/wellness and see a different group of friends.
- Do errands with friends! Grocery shopping with friends can be a hang!
- Make meals with friends. Even if it's over FaceTime, you can share time together doing your own thing.
- Learn to say "no" to things that don't align with your goals/values. It is tough, but you will have to prioritize the things you love to make sure you can take care of you.
I hope this is helpful!
Maggie
You ask a very good question - this is something that I think most people have to work at to find the right balance! It takes time to find the balance that works for you.
Some ideas for while you are in college:
- Do you have friends in your major that you could study with on occasion?
- Do you have friends in your classes that you could spend 2 hours studying with and then spend time studying on your own?
- Do you have friends (whether in the same major or not) that would go to a coffee shop with you and study your own work but side by side?
- Is there an activity or club that you want to join that you could dedicate 1-2 hours a week to? Maybe you love art and want to join an art club and can spend 1 hour a week creating art (or whatever your interest is)
- Having a plan for the week of when/what you will study can help to find those pockets of time where you can have fun and do the things you enjoy
- Plan group dinners or 1:1 meals where you have intentional conversations with friends (even for 30 minutes!) - you could also make a standing lunch/dinner plan with a friend to ensure you can connect once a week (or every other week, or once a month, whatever works for you)
After college:
- Figure out what things are non-negotiables. For example, you will need to go to work for a certain amount of time each week. You also need to eat and do general hygiene. Then figure out what your other values are - friendships, family, hobbies. Again, making a schedule here can help show you when you have free time. I find that committing to something regularly is the best way to keep a habit. For example, I have a monthly bookclub where I see one group of friends, and I have 3-4x/week yoga to commit to my health/wellness and see a different group of friends.
- Do errands with friends! Grocery shopping with friends can be a hang!
- Make meals with friends. Even if it's over FaceTime, you can share time together doing your own thing.
- Learn to say "no" to things that don't align with your goals/values. It is tough, but you will have to prioritize the things you love to make sure you can take care of you.
I hope this is helpful!
Maggie