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A story about finding a balance between academics and social experiences in university.<\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"3a8bc007-f034-41b3-9b65-d1fd953d109c"},"title":"0 to 100 by Catherine McDonald"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

A huge obstacle for me in learning how to be a successful student was learning to find balance within myself and the academic expectations that were placed on me. Often, I found myself studying for a midterm weeks ahead of time which I realized later was unnecessary but I had no real sense of how it was going to be and I was so afraid of failure that I studied way more than ever before. This over studying did lead to some good grades, I did manage a 98 on that midterm and even got my friends to do really well too. But, my mental health did suffer to a degree. I was isolating myself and staring at my computer screen doing every single assigned reading and making outlines of all of it. Eventually what I found was this wasn\u2019t worth it because ultimately there was no need for me to get such high grades. My scholarship and program required an 80 to maintain them and so there was no real need to be such an overachiever academically with little else going on. Furthermore, it began taking a toll on my mental health. This cycle of studying so hard to achieve led me to very high highs of receiving my mark back and then lows of feeling empty because the grade I received did not really fulfill me and my need to be useful to others.<\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"39efe76b-2cfa-43fc-bcd6-58afcf195834"},"title":"The Wicked Problem"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

With this realization of these habits negatively affecting my life, I started to branch out and get into less academic sides of school, like different societies, campus wide social and sporting events, parties, mock trials and even academic seminars which had some major appeals. This was especially when compared to time spent cooped up in my room all day working on my academic endeavors. Though this disciplined behaviour can be helpful there is definitely a limit to its usefulness and recognizing that limit is incredibly important. Because the difference between a 98 and a 94 really isn\u2019t much, especially when you studied an extra week alone in your room for it. Now, it also depends on what your goals are but overall it tends not to be a healthy thing to do because typically a lack of balance like that is not conducive to other goals one may have in their life. And as much as it is important to take your grades seriously, there is only a limited amount you can learn from a textbook.<\/p>\n\n

In actuality, experiential learning and getting out there and being in the real world will be what makes you distinct from other students and also what will help those around you and yourself most. Getting involved in your community through collaboration is easier than you might think. Any opportunity you see advertised that interests you, take it. Especially during orientation week there are ads everywhere to be a part of everything. And also don\u2019t forget that many others are desperately looking for people to collaborate with too, hence the adverts so don\u2019t second guess yourself too much. Show up, treat everyone with respect and listen closely, and repeat. Now, although you may not feel your results are as immediate as getting a good grade back I think ultimately you will find that your sense of fulfillment significantly increases by helping others and engaging in your broader community.<\/p>\n\n

A lot of times as well through this interaction with the broader community you may find that models of social behaviour or social theory severely flatten the human experience and the dimensions of people\u2019s stories. In interacting with the social world yourself you come to find many more layers of depth and nuance which can not ever truly be captured with thorough enough detail in textbooks. There\u2019s a sensory experience that goes on in person which is hard to capture through other mediums and is maybe a different reality all in itself. And yes, although it is maybe safer to do things online for a little while longer at least, there is still more interaction in that then online textbook. Basically, what I am overall attempting to say is that it is invaluable to get out there and get all of the social experience you can with people of all different walks of life in order to improve your empathy, your collaboration skills, your generosity and many other positive characteristics. Not to say books and other forms of media cannot be helpful in this process as well, but to me there is definitely a hierarchy of experience I think in terms of what it can provide for character building. Still, in interacting with others it is a better idea to try to go in with minimal expectation and bias. This will typically lead to the most authentic and honest experience.<\/p>\n\n

Another helpful habit I picked up was to study with a friend and bounce ideas back at each other. This met my need of wanting to help others, have some social interaction, but also study. Since then, the friend I do this with is now my best friend and we are going to law school together this September. I could not be more grateful for the opportunities attending university has afforded me in terms of getting involved and forming strong connections with others. The real challenge is just going out there and taking them on.<\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"09ecd5d1-bc54-49ab-beeb-0937b44ae915"},"title":"Finding a Solution"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

Don't wait until it's too late to start living. Take risks while you're young and don't be afraid of others because most have more in common with you than you may think.<\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"4c4b5fff-8cda-4021-bc5b-9089d8ecff40"},"title":"Final Thoughts"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

McDonald, C. (2021, October 6). 0 to 100<\/em>. Liberated Learners. https:\/\/wicked.liberatedlearner.ca\/learner\/0-to-100\/<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","subContentId":"4c460c9c-8a25-46b0-9174-d85aedbd5984","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"}},"title":"APA Reference"}],"hTag":"h2"}

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Liam Peart