As everyone says, college is supposed to be the time of your life. It's supposed to be the time where you let loose, be carefree, and have the most fun while you can before you're out into the adult world. It's the time where you're supposed to make your lifelong friends and go on as many adventures as you can. When they say you can only pick 2 out of the 3, they're right: sleep, social life, and school. And in the moment, it's so much more fun to decide to go out instead of study ahead for your exam in a few days. After all, are you truly a college student if you haven't missed Friday morning classes because of Thirsty Thursday?

However, I'm that person who stays in on Friday night to study for their Monday morning test. Let's face it, I'm a nerd. I'm that person who will (as much as I want to go) turn down a party invite to get my homework done in time. I get more excited to help someone study for a test than I probably should. My initial weekly plans consist of when I'm going to get a few hours of hitting the books in a day, then I prioritize my social plans around that, not the other way around

For me, college is taking advantage of all the resources that are around me. After all, we're paying for them! College is making connections through my professors for possible job opportunities. College is staying in that night of the biggest party because I have a huge exam in 2 days. College is being excited to go to class because I'm learning things that pertain to my major and things I'll actually need in life. And as lame as that may sound to some, it's just what I love. I put my grades first and my social life second.

As many people may be wondering, what is her point in this..? She likes to study, so what? Well, the reason I put school before my social life now is so I can have a better future. Yes, college may be the time where you can have the time of your life, but I would rather work hard now, get a great job from doing well in school, and be able to have fun later. I would rather stress out now for these 4 years and be able to live the rest of my life carefree not having to stress about paying my bills than living carefree now and stressing about my job later on.

I'm that person who will get excited if you ask me to tutor you. I put school first because I put my future first. I put school first because the goal is to be able to do what I love when I'm out. It's easy to live in the moment, but it's also easy to fall behind if you're not prioritizing your schoolwork. Some people can do both and that's amazing, but I am not that extraordinary. I'll stay in for a Friday night so I can (hopefully) get that amazing job offer when I graduate. I enjoy tutoring and teaching people more than I enjoy buying a round of drinks. After all, these student loans aren't going to pay back themselves. I do what I have to do now so I can do what I want to do later.

I may not be that person who everyone knows. I may not be that girl who everyone has an inside joke with. I may not be the most popular person around. I may be that girl who likes watching scientific documentaries a little more than I should. I might love researching the causes of chemical reactions in my free time. But it's okay to be that nerd. It's okay to be the person who is a party pooper because they want to do good on their exam. It's okay to miss out on things sometimes to put school first. Your future is going to be great when all that hard work gets you that amazing job offer. So keep on kicking school's butt, you'll have time for socializing when you're the boss of your own business. Don't quit now. Suffer now so you can live the rest of your life as a champion.