Am I having too much fun?

Going to college has been such a new experience for me. Everything is so much different than from when I was in high school: the way people interact, the way classes are scheduled, and the extra freedom that I have. One thing I’ve noticed is that I haven’t been focusing on my coursework like I initially planned.

When I was in high school, my life revolved around my academic and extracurricular activities. I thought I would spend the majority of my college life studying in my dorm room. Boy, was I ever wrong! I never knew I would make so many friends in such a short period of time.

It’s been so overwhelming! I’m not trying to say that making friends is bad, but I’m starting to realize how much socializing has cut down on the time I spend studying.

For instance, I don’t really like to dine alone. So when I get out of class, I usually gather up a large group of people to go out to lunch. Our little get-togethers take away a lot of time that I could use to study, but I’m finding it hard to resist having a full-fledged social life in college.

My courses are structured much differently than high school classes; they require much more study time. But since I’ve been in college, about 60 percent of my time has been devoted to my social life, while sadly only 40 percent of my time has been devoted to my studies.

Needless to say, that has to change.

I’ve realized that as much fun as college is, I really don’t want to spend an extra year or two here just because I slacked off as a freshman. So the first thing I’m going to do is cut down on the amount of time I spend socializing with my friends during meal times. Instead, I will order my food to go and study while I eat. I will also have to say goodbye to a good portion of the activities I like to attend during the week.

It’s really difficult to try and cut these things out of my routine, but I have to choose one way or the other. I can have a full-time social life and fail college, or I can learn to balance my time between friends and studying and actually maintain good grades. (I think I’ll stick to that second option!)

I may be being a little strict on myself, but when I think about it, I’m going to school to get an education, not to learn how to socialize more! The scholarship foundations that are giving me funds are providing me with money so I can get a good education and make something of my life, not so I can blow my college years away by having too much fun. Socialization will not be cut out of my college life completely, but I’m going to learn how to organize my time better. I could study the whole week and relax on the weekends. Or I could study for a few hours each day and then spend an hour with friends. Either way, there are going to have to be some changes.

I want to have fun at USF, but at the same time, I want to get a good education and carve out my bright future!

Tanya Walwyn is a freshman at the University of South Florida.

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