College is a time when you have the option to get involved in a lot of things that interest you. A campus is a very diverse place where you can find multiple clubs and other organizations that you can do when you're not doing things that are related to school. The issue is, you might like a lot of things and you might not have time for a lot of these things when you factor in your classes, or your job, or your significant other, or all of these. So there's one word you need to learn to help manage all of this: no.
No is an incredibly important word once you get to college. I'm not saying that it wasn't important before of course, but once you're in an environment where you basically have complete control over your schedule, saying no becomes critical. You're going to feel obligated to be in a lot of clubs and help people do a lot of things, and if you were to say yes to all of these things that are thrown at you over the course of a semester, you wouldn't have time to sleep or really live your life. So, before you even start saying no, you've got to prioritize. Ask yourself things like, "What do I really want to do? What do I want to be good at? Does this really matter to me? Will this help me in anyway?"
By asking yourself questions like these, you can figure out what's important to you and what you should invest your precious time in. Trust me when I say that it's better to put all your effort into a select few things, than to only put a little effort into a lot of things. In this case, quality is better than quantity. So make sure you say yes to things that matter to you and will help you as a person.
But make sure you say no to things that do not meet your criteria. Even if you are interested in them, sometimes you're going to have to say no when it comes to helping out with a club or an event. These are the hardest times to say no, because you actually want to help out. There's no point in helping, though, if you cannot truly invest the appropriate amount of time into something, because then you're going to do more harm to yourself and others than you're going to do good. So, learn to understand what you can handle, and learn when to say no when it comes to things you want to do but know you can't fit in to your schedule.
What are you supposed to do if a good friend is asking you to do something with them that you don't think you can fit in? You guessed it: still say no! Yes, it's great to help out your friends when you have the resources and time available, but if you end up letting them down after you say you'll help them, it's going to be bad for everyone. This happens a lot in college, because a friend is going to want to go out the night before you have a test, or they're going to ask you to come to a new club meeting with them, or they're going to ask you to go to a concert with them after a long day. It's hard to say no to a friend, but if they're really your friend, they'll understand that you need some time to yourself or that you need to study, or just relax. This is why it's important to say no in college: if you don't say no to some things, you'll be overloaded with responsibilities and you'll be denying yourself the ability to reach the highest potential you can as a person.
