Trent Aughinbaugh, C'24
During their college career, students experience stress, the pressure of deadlines on assignments, or the weight of their workload. It is like a storm cloud over your head, and its effect ranges from just having a tough night to weeks upon weeks of stress and a heavy workload resulting in mental and even physical exhaustion. There are plenty of good habits that students can adopt to make the "cloud" smaller.
One such way is time management. Time management is a key skill, especially when you begin your career. Being a full-time student is a job, so if a student can nail down this skill and budget time effectively, this will do wonders for mental well-being throughout their life.
Another effective way to alleviate stress is having a go-to "thing": some sort of activity unrelated to school that recharges students' energy. This ranges from reading in the residence hall to going to the gym with a friend or watching a show with a group of friends. I cannot quite express in words how refreshing it feels to leave the sauna at the ARCC ready to come back and put forth maximum effort no matter what you are working on. While academics take priority during a student’s time, it is essential for a student’s college experience to be enhanced by a strong social life and stress-free activities. This habit is also applicable to your future career. Filling your life outside of work with things you enjoy can make your professional life easier and possibly even yield better results.
The final good habit that a student could pick up is simply building a relationship with your professors. All professors want students who care about what they are being taught and care about doing better. If you are struggling, need some leeway because of circumstances out of your control, or simply want to show you care, just talk to your professor. In my experience, whenever I have been struggling or needed help because of life outside of school, my professors have been more than understanding. If you show them that you care, only good things can come as a result.
If for some reason talking to the professor seems unfeasible, then have a conversation with a friend or even start an interaction with a classmate with who you have never spoken. If you can do things like this often, you are on a good path toward seeing how essential networking is to career development. Making meaningful connections and putting yourself out there to broaden your horizon could make all the difference for your future.
It is important for students to adopt healthy habits like these so that they are as successful as they can be. If you are constantly under stress about your grades and other school-related troubles, just know that in addition to the many resources offered on campus, there are also things that you have the power to do. It is never too late to course correct.