College — it's known as a glorious place filled with friends and fun, sometimes a little too much fun. However, I think too many people take for granted how important it is to work hard during this time in your life. It's all about finding a balance between your social, academic and work life.
Something that I've noticed since I've been in college is that students think they have to choose between three things on their priority list: school, social life and work. People often forget to realize that although it is hard, it's possible to do all three. I've been working my way through college all four years, all while maintaining a full class load and holding position for most of the time within my sorority. Have there been many nights where I barely slept? Yes. Did I ever get run down and just want to quit? Absolutely. Sitting in the library at 1:30 a.m. after working a six-hour shift isn't fun, but I'm so grateful that I've learned how to have a good work ethic at such a young age.
I think what happens is that while our main priority in college should be school, don't be afraid to go the extra mile at your part-time job if you're passionate about it. I'm passionate about mine, and I just got promoted and can actually see a future within the company I'm working for. Stay late, be the example at your job or in school. Just because we're young doesn't mean we should be idle and wait until we graduate to really try and get your foot in the door in the working world. Four years goes by faster than you think and you want to be ready when it's over!
This work ethic also isn't limited to just work, the same can be said for school and your social life. One mistake I made for pretty much my whole first part of college was not putting my academics first. Don't get me wrong, I would study just as much as everyone else but I just wasn't living up to my full potential. My grades at one point were mediocre at best. Spring of my junior year I took on the mentality that I need to do whatever it takes to make sure I'm doing everything in my power to achieve the best grades possible. So I pulled many all-nighters, and I got to know my professors. I stayed in on a lot of nights where all of my friends were going out. Like I said, it is possible to balance a social life and school but school is also more important than missing out on a bar crawl on a Thursday night. There will be more Thursdays and there will be more bars.
In a nutshell, start working hard now. You'll thank yourself in ten years!
