One thing people look forward to in college is having the ability to make their own schedule and take fewer classes than they did in high school. If 12 credits are considered full-time, that could be as few as four classes per semester. Some people can get away with that, and that is their prerogative. I do not have that option, and, at first, it made me angry that those people could wake up very late and seemingly barely go to class. Of course, they can have fun during college! They have the time! I see now that I was wrong, and here is why.
Two words: music major. I love it and couldn’t imagine doing anything else, but in order to squeeze in all we have to learn in just four years, the curriculum is designed as a series of classes ranging from zero-three credits. Last semester, I was taking 18 credits: 12 were core curriculum, six were music. That does not seem so bad until you factor in the fact there were actually just four core classes and seven music classes, plus a work-study. Classes for one credit did not necessarily meet for one hour a week; sometimes it was for two or three. I was overwhelmed and constantly wrote myself reminders as to what days I had to be where at what time because each day was different.
That is when I learned the importance of time management, a concept still slightly foreign to me. I never learned it in high school, despite being as challenged as I am at times now. This semester I hit the ground running. As soon as my classes and work-study were scheduled, I figured out exactly when I would practice and how long. Within the first week, I had decided when I would do what homework, when I would read, and when I would eat. Taking a half-hour break to finish a worksheet instead of mindlessly scrolling through something is an extra half-hour gained to do something I would rather do later. As a result, I am very busy for a good portion of the day, but once the sun goes down, quite often I have nothing left to do and can have guilt-free relaxation. Time management is something we are supposed to learn in college. Of course, I still have my procrastination moments (like any chronic procrastinator) but scheduling time to work makes it less easy to do so.
I’ve come to realize that being scheduled all day can be a good thing. Not leaving the music building for hours at a time only means I am immersed for that much longer in music. I am with the same people and same professors. I can say from experience being this busy makes time go by faster. I may be groaning as I wake up on a Monday morning but before I know it, it’s Wednesday night and the week is already over halfway done. When the weekend comes, I can relax instead of cramming in last-minute homework.
Being busy is not the end of fun. It just makes the free time even sweeter.
