It’s Week 6 of Winter Term 2017. I should probably know that by now, and I do (I promise). But this really hit me earlier today, when I sat back and realized just how much I’ve done in these six weeks since the start of the term, and how much more I have to do. Long story short, it’s a lot.
But can I call it “too much to handle”?
Last term, I played it safe and stuck to as few extracurriculars and hobbies as possible. As a freshman in his first term, I felt intimidated by the idea of ‘overbooking’ myself. I still had a lot to learn about being a college student; the independence, the countless opportunities presented to me, and all of the clubs and sports available to me were a bit overwhelming to me at first. In high school, I was rarely involved in more than one thing (outside of school) at any given moment. I’ve held full-time jobs, participated in clubs, played sports, organized events, and much more. However, I never once found myself juggling any of those at the same time. So, it only made sense to play it safe during my first term here. But this term, I challenged myself. I told myself that I would push myself beyond what I perceived were my limits. As a result, I have involved myself in several things this term.
I now work on campus as a Student Caller, calling prospective and admitted students from across the country. It’s an extremely fulfilling job that gives me the chance to have extremely meaningful conversations with these high school students. I’ve even had conversations that have lasted roughly 25 minutes. As you can tell, some really awesome magic goes down during these phone calls.
I’m also participating in a program called the “Winter Student Leadership Challenge Certificate”, which provides students on campus with essential skills that help them become more effective leaders. This program is valuable to me, as I plan on unfolding some very big ideas in the near future here on campus. Next week is our last meeting, and I can’t help but thank Nick Paulson enough for the amazing things he’s taught me in the last several weeks.
I’ve also continued my involvement in Black Student Union (BSU). Since last term, it’s been an amazing space that has provided me with the opportunity to surround myself in a safe space among other students of color on campus and discuss anything worth discussing.
Outside of campus, I have a pretty busy life, too. I manage a YouTube channel, constantly editing videos and brainstorming ideas for the next video. Constantly searching for opportunities to film or brainstorm ideas often take over hours of my day. It’s not easy, but having students come up to me, and tell me that they really enjoyed my last video is extremely satisfying. I also (try to) maintain a workout routine to ensure that I’m at my healthiest at any given moment. The Wellness Center here on campus is wonderful, and I often find myself surrounded by students who are as serious about their health as I am!
At first glance, this all may seem overwhelming. It’s extremely tempting for me to tell myself “You’ve hit your limit. You’ve left yourself with no room for yourself or your friends”. But that wouldn’t be true! I’ve found that the key to managing this busy schedule is simple: Making the best out of my free time. I make it a habit to write out my week, and scavenge for every possible free second that’s available to me. I then make very important decisions as to how I should best spend that free time.
As I push through the final few weeks of the term, I continue to seek ways to maximize my time. I plan on continuing to add more things onto my schedule. I don’t plan on doing this just to have the chance to tell people “Wait, let me check my schedule” (although that’s an extremely tempting thing to say… I might try it someday). I plan on doing this because I know that I’m capable of doing it, and because I’ll be able to look back and commend myself for the hard work I put in during school. We only have four years on this campus. Why not make the most of them?
