Working Student Woes

Studies show that students are taking on jobs more and juggling numerous roles, causing anxiety, low grades or worse, a marked decrease in graduation rates.

A majority of college students are presently employed, not by choice, but out of necessity. They are working a considerable number of hours to be able to afford the high costs of attending college. Sadly, employment is currently a necessary responsibility for many undergraduates.

A lot of undergraduate students grapples to meet the innumerable demands of school, work, social and family responsibilities. Trying to accomplish these simultaneous and divergent duties breeds a dramatically increased level of stress and anxiety, making it too difficult to complete one’s degree.

The struggles of a working student

1. Non-existent social life

Spontaneous trips or meet-ups with close friends are unheard of when you have to adhere to a set school and work schedule. Even the coffee around the corner seems to have gotten stale. Weekends are not good enough as you have to catch up on pending school assignments and paperwork.

2. Sleep is for the weak 

Sleep is just a dream when you are a student working shifts just to accommodate your school routine. Nights are so long and mornings are a blur. Getting home from a very tiring job, your homework is impatiently waiting to get your full attention. You spend hours trying to finish a paper that would pass muster and you look out the window seeing the sun peeking in.

3. Early start 

Whether it’s school or the workplace you have to be at by 9:00 a.m., chances are, you’d rather not. It would have been glorious if you could have slept in or worked on your much delayed submissions to save your grades from falling to below sea level. And even if you do, grudgingly, get to school or work on time, better make sure that you have mastered the art of falling asleep standing up and with your eyes open.

4. Soaring stress levels 

Having to juggle school, work, family and social life and be any good at every one of them is ultimately stressful. Things happening so fast and all at once, commanding you attend to them with utmost dedication and commitment. Having all these forces pulling at you from every direction is overwhelming and frustrating, stretching yourself too thin. How much longer, do you think, until you implode?

5. Which to prioritize?

Demanding work hours, loads of homework and school papers dangerously close to submission deadline, your mom is missing you bad and your best friend’s wedding. And did you even get a good four hour sleep?

Twenty four hours in a day is not enough to grant your wish to do everything you need, much less, want. Managing your time is a gargantuan task especially when there is very little of it. Your grades, efficiency at work and energy levels will definitely be on a downhill slide.

Setting goals and working towards them is always a good thing. Hard work has its rewards but it has its price as well. Know your limits and never allow responsibilities to take its toll on you. Never attempt to over-extend yourself. Prevent burn out by not taking on too much at once.

There is a difference between working harder and working smarter which entails finding new ways to accomplish tasks in a more efficient way. A little bit of shortcut through myadmissionessay.com review can go a long, long way.

There are but a few once-in-a-lifetime experiences and college life is one of them. Gift yourself with the time to savor the journey and make wonderful memories.