Question: has anyone ever told you that you "party too much?" Or "go out" too much? For some reason, this seemed to be a popular thing people have said to me this past semester. I've been questioned about my own social life and my academics. Like….what? Please don't tell me how to manage my own time.

Coming to college, I knew that I would quickly have to learn time management in order to keep up with my studies and social life. Prior to college, I never partied. So, naturally, I wanted to partake in "the college experience" and go out and have a nice time with my friends. I love the atmosphere - hearing the loud music, dancing with my friends, meeting new people, etc. I'll be honest, this semester I went out almost every weekend. Yet I had almost straight A's and a high GPA.

Just because I go out on weekends doesn't mean I can't manage my time.

It's all about time management. As the semester progressed and my workload became heavier, I took the time to keep track of all my assignments and try my best to complete homework and papers in advance. I made a list every day of things I absolutely needed to get done, things that should probably get done, and things that could be done later. This helped greatly because it allowed me to get ahead in my assignments.

I also made it a goal for myself to have all homework done by Thursday nights, so my Friday nights and weekends could be left for leisure or extra studying if necessary. If time management is a weakness of yours, following some of those tips can help greatly! I also recommend buying a large calendar so you can write down everything that is going on, and everything that is due for the current month.

Don't let anyone tell you that you party too much! It's okay to enjoy partying and still care about getting good grades. Just because you see me on social media going out on the weekend, does not mean you get to criticize my social life and assume I have bad grades. Having a social life and allotting time for leisure is just as important as schoolwork. It's all about having a healthy balance between the two, and understanding how to manage your time.