College Priorities

      By: Alexis Butler 

When you’re a first-time college student it’s easy to become overwhelmed and be set off track. But, things can go a lot smoother when you check your priorities at the door and keep them at the front of your mind. When evaluating your priorities, you must ask yourself Why am I here?” and “What’s the most important to me?”

Why are you here?

       Think about your why. Are you here to carry on a tradition, for self-satisfaction, or to check one more thing off your bucket list? What ever your why may be, be sure to keep it in the front of your mind at all times and build your goals around it. Write it down in your planner, on your mirror, or on your dry erase board. Your why will always keep you on track when you know it’s important to you. Whenever you begin to feel distracted or off balance your why should always bring you back. Train yourself to remember how important it is to you.

Delegate your time wisely.

       When you’re in college it is very easy to become distracted and have your time quickly blown away, rather you are a freshman or a senior. But the key to stay on track is to delegate your time and abide by the things you have previously set for yourself. Know what you want to do and set times for certain things. Tell yourself when you will do work, nap, and your party time. If you have an exam or paper due on a certain day make it mandatory to squeeze study time into your day or time to work on your paper. Be proactive so your grades will reflect your hard work.        A planner is also a great way to stay on top of all of your daily task. Writing it down and seeing it will remind you of the things that you have to do.

Priorities V. Parties.

       College is the absolute party city and it is very rare that a day will go by without a party, mixer, or “club café.” It is very easy to become surrounded by those activities and caught up in the hype of the fun. Limit yourself. If partying is something that you enjoy, by all means have fun, but don’t forget you why. Ultimately your why can not be achieved by going to parties. Go back to where you have written down your task and ask yourself “Can I afford to go to this event?” Will it, in the long run be detrimental and get you off track? If the answer is yes, then choose wisely, don’t allow the fun to stop you from reaching your goals.