I get asked all the time, "How do you get such good grades and always go out?"

Well, the secret isn't so secret after all.

Being in college has taught me how to balance entertainment with education, a skill that has become essential in the life of an avid partier.

I started my freshman year in college last September, so I'm still getting used to the whole "school away from home" thing. But the transition hasn't been as dramatic as I expected.

My university is centered in a small town in South Jersey, so there's not much to do besides going out with your friends and partying.

Time management has definitely become my greatest strength during college. Since there are not as many classes in a day as there are in a high school schedule, each day feels like an entire weekend once the final class of the day is over.

With all the extra free time we have, most of us tend to procrastinate and put off doing work until the very last minute. This is one of the most salient vices of college students today.

Instead of using the initial time students are granted to spend on doing homework or studying, we tend to use that time to waste it or spend it on having fun. During my first semester, I remember dedicating hours in between classes just to work on papers and projects in my downtime.

This helped me pull in a 3.8 GPA, on top of being active in two organizations of campus and partying during the end of the week. If I can do it, any student can, as long as they keep in mind what's important in the long run: our education.

To sum things up, prioritizing education before extracurricular activities is always the best plan for active college students. No one wants to be the kid stuck with 15 assignments to make up on a Saturday night because they had too much fun on "Wine Wednesday" or "Thirsty Thursday".

Don't worry, there will always be time to turn up once all word count requirements are met.