Welcome to Your College Career

Get Your Balancing Act Together

Starting college will bring some newfound freedoms that require a higher level of maturity and responsibility. Unlike high school, you won’t have someone checking in to make sure you finished your homework or studied for that big test. Whether you’re living on campus or commuting, most likely you are now responsible for everything from laundry to finances to academic success.

Though much of college life is about making new friends and socializing, it’s important to define clear boundaries to keep your social life from interfering with your academic success.

“Balancing and juggling is the life of a college student,” says Keisha. “The sooner you figure out how to complete work in an efficient and accurate manner, find time to be involved in extracurricular activities and still make it to a great party that night, the better off you’ll be.”

Most colleges offer countless parties, especially in the first week, which means you have some decisions to make. Getting in with the wrong crowds is not an ideal way to start, or finish, your college career. About 25% of students report academic consequences—missing classes, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers and receiving lower grades overall—due to drinking at parties.

“You can party all night, but you’ll have a hangover in class the next day,” says Rich. “No one is looking over your shoulder. You’re going to have to make a lot of decisions for yourself.”