Balancing extracurriculars while pursuing your STEM degree
Prior to attending college, I was under the impression that every student studying STEM subjects lived and breathed their major interests, never stopped studying, and let their lives be heavily consumed by school. Now, some people thrive in this setting, but my passions extended far past my degree and I wanted to integrate my passion for music into my experience as an undergraduate. Upon reflection, I was insecure about sharing my passion for performance with my peers because I believed the experience was inferior to the experiences I could gain in my field. In hindsight, I now understand that my passion for music is just as relevant as my passion for ecology, and it definitely deserved the time I invested to partake in my performing sport. Below, I explain why your extracurricular is worth your energy and how to manage your time.
I recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, with an emphasis in ecology, from San Diego State University. During my time as an undergraduate, I was always a combination of a full time student, part time employee, undergraduate teaching assistant, research assistant, volunteer, and undergraduate researcher. Yet, I still found the time to invest in my hobbies, passions, and extracurriculars--one of which included marching with performing arts groups in Drum Corps International (DCI).
DCI is an intense performing arts activity that is both physically and musically demanding. To partake, I prepared an audition piece in fall, engaged in the audition process throughout winter, memorized music all spring, and performed my heart out all summer. This was a year-round gig. Point is, I carved out time everyday to make this possible for myself. No matter the extracurricular (clubs, classes, sports, teams, etc.) if the activity adds value to your life and it satisfies a part of you that nothing else does, don’t quit. As tiring and as taxing as your class and study schedule can be, continually prioritize the time for activities that satisfy another element of your personality. By indulging, you will be supporting your mental health by offering yourself a well deserved break from your hectic school schedule and nurturing another area of your multi-faceted personality.
How did I find the time? In short, through trial and error. The following are tips that helped me balance my interests. Bear in mind, there are many ways to manage multiple time commitments. I encourage you to play around and find what works for you.
Get real about your to do list. It is already too long. Refrain from making an unrealistic and extensive list. Create a list you are capable of achieving in the time you have for yourself. Be honest if you have overcommitted yourself, let the tears flow, don’t be too hard on yourself, and change your habits for next time.
Reassess your priorities. Alright, that list you just created: how much of it do you actually need to do today? Can some of it be done tomorrow? Next week? Does it really require that much time to achieve? Also, cut out the things that don’t serve your long term goals to eliminate anything that will steal your time.
Schedule. Everyone’s least favorite activity. But, by allocating specific times of the day toward a certain activity you can invest intention with the added ease of knowing you have the time set aside later for the other activity you want to do. This is about continuously following your schedule and building trust with yourself so you know you will have time for everything you need and want to do.
Set an intention before you study. Now, you are sitting down with your list in the time of day you scheduled to address it. Ask yourself: What is the overarching goal of this study session? Set small goals and prioritize the concepts you are least familiar with. Focus during your study time. You might find you spend less time studying since you’ re investing quality over quantity. Find the point where you know you are as prepared as you will be, and step away from your work to indulge in another area of your life.
I share this having successfully balanced my extracurriculars while earning my undergraduate degree. I did not have to sacrifice what I wanted to achieve as a performer to earn my degree. Likewise, I did not have to sacrifice an experience in my degree to partake as a performer. Bottom line: If you truly want more time for something, excuses become obsolete and nothing will be in your way. Take ownership of the value of your time, because if you don’t use your time intentionally, something else will. Remember, your extracurricular is worth it!
