Beginning college is a new experience for everyone—new friends, new classes, a new home and so much more. I remember planning everything that I wanted to do when I first moved in: make friends, study hard and join multiple clubs. However, I never would have thought that the scared freshman girl sitting in the auditorium during orientation weekend would end up accomplishing as much as she did. I am that girl.

Quickly after beginning my first semester, I joined several different clubs. I loved the idea of being involved. Plus, I had already done this in high school, so it should be easy, right? Well, I quickly learned that classes were picking up and I was running out of time. I became overwhelmed by the number of meetings and practices I had to attend while wanting to maintain a certain GPA. About halfway through my first semester, I sat down with myself and decided that I needed a new game plan. If I wanted to stay as involved as I was, I needed to create a schedule each day so I could go to all of my classes, have a lot of time to study, work out, see my friends, and most importantly, sleep. At first, adjusting to my routine was hard, and I often got distracted. But soon enough, I got into the swing of things. By the time second semester rolled around, I was ready to tackle everything that was to come. Despite classes becoming more difficult and activities became more time consuming, I found a way to make my hectic schedule seem much less hectic. And I owe this to the word balance.

Balance is key in life, especially in college. Each night, I write a list of the goals I want to accomplish the next day. Of course, I always want to take the nap that is calling my name, but with balance, I have found a system that allows me to push through each day and get some sleep at night, which is hard to believe as a college student. Between my workouts several times a week, studying, attending meetings, and finding time to socialize, I have found my balance.

Though I am exhausted each night as I crawl into my bed, I am satisfied. I was able to accomplish many things in one day. So to all of the freshmen out there who are worried about joining things or not having enough time to study: it is possible. With time-management skills and the beauty of balance, you will accomplish more than you ever thought possible. When days become overwhelming, take a step back, re-evaluate, take a deep breath, and find your sense of balance.

Yours truly,

Kayla