As college students, it can feel like we are being pulled in so many different directions. We have homework to do, exams to study for, papers to write and then there is our social life, and we can’t forget our family life, and our extracurricular activities. The list of things we need to remember goes on and on and it feels like it never stops. At this point in our lives, it can feel like we are constantly playing catch up and our lives are a mess. But that is okay. It’s okay to be a mess.

When it comes to homework, papers, or anything else with school, I am on top of deadlines. I make sure I have my assignments done or that I am prepared. But with all the preparation I do for school, I let the other things in my life fall through the cracks. I don’t answer people’s text messages; I spend more time closed in my room working on things than I do spending time with my family. I feel like I am constantly neglecting some part of my life to keep up with the other parts. But that doesn’t make me a bad person. That makes me human.

College is a time for learning, and no, I don’t mean learning in your classes. I mean that as you attend classes, experience living away from home, or just experience being more responsible for yourself, you are learning what it means to truly be an adult. You are learning how to manage your own time and balance your personal and academic lives. There may come a time where you need to decide between spending time with friends and studying for an exam or spending time working on homework. And a lot of times, the option that involves friends seems to be more appealing.

I had a professor once, that told my class something that stood out to me during a discussion that involved balancing academics with our personal lives. He said, “Don’t let school get in the way of your education.” What he meant by this is that you cannot allow one aspect of college, your academics, to completely take over your life. Sometimes one more hour of sleep is more important to us in that moment than one extra hour of reading for class. Sometimes we just need to take a personal day from school because we are completely overwhelmed with everything we need to do. Sometimes we decide to spend a weekend with friends and cram all our homework into a Sunday night. And that is okay.

It is okay to be forgetful. It is okay to feel like things are slipping through the cracks. It is okay to put your friends before your homework every now and then. You will only get to enjoy college one time. Don’t spend it making decisions that never allow you to enjoy it. Spend your time in college keeping what is best for you in mind because if you do, you will truly learn from each experience and you will get the biggest rewards out of everything you do.