Campus Living, Featured, Life on Campus

The Importance of Keeping Up a Social Life in College

Charlie Fletcher

Everyone’s seen the college movies where the students spend so much time partying, they fail all their classes; but too much studying and isolation isn’t great either. This all-or-nothing approach isn’t a good thing for such a critical time in a person’s life — when they’re just starting to come into themselves and figure things out.

Life is all about finding a balance, and college is no exception. If you’re a college student, your goal should be to find a balance between schoolwork and socializing. This will help to keep you in a healthy mindset. And if you stay grounded in a healthy mindset, you’ll be able to do better in your coursework.

The Benefits of Finding the Balance Between Socialization and Studying

There are many benefits associated with being well balanced. Not only is it a great way to prepare yourself for having a great work/life balance when you get out into the business world, but it will make you a more well-rounded person.

Better Mental Health

The first benefit of having a well-balanced social life and study life is that it’s better for mental health.

Modern life can be stressful, especially for teenagers and 20-somethings. Never before have we had 24/7 access to social media, news, and everyone in our lives. It can be a lot. This constant access can be great for connecting, but it can also be a drain on emotional and mental health.

It can be important to focus on your mental health in college. It has been proven that isolated students will struggle with mental health issues more than students with healthy relationships.

It Makes You a Better Student

First of all, if your mental wellbeing is in a good place, you are more likely to be a productive student. People who are happier are more productive and can get more accomplished. Secondly, you are more likely to be productive and engaged if you are friends with other productive and engaged students. It’s good to be surrounded by others who can encourage you and help you stay motivated and inspired.

If you work together in groups, you can help each other and hold each other accountable. You can study with each other and work on big projects and papers together.

Improve Social Skills

College is all about improving the skills that will get you places in the workforce afterward. One of those skills is knowing how to talk to people and build relationships. Even if you don’t go on to work in sales, for example, it’s always good to know how to network and build relationships, no matter what field you end up working in.

Ideas for Improving Your Social Life

So now that you understand more about why it’s so important to have a college social life, you might want some ideas for achieving that.

1. Attend University Events

Your college plans some fun events for all of its students, so make sure you check your email or check its website regularly to stay updated. You can usually find events like sporting events, concerts, speakers, and festivals that are open to students or the community at large.

There may also be groups at your university based on interests that you have, so be open to checking those out as well. And some schools may even plan off-campus events like day trips that you can join in on.

2. Bond with Your Roommate

It may seem awkward at first if you are assigned someone random to live with, but try to get to know them. Spend some time asking them about their interests, what they like to do, what kind of music and movies they like, etc.

One fun way to get to know them and bond is to decorate your dorm room together. This is a great way to get to know each other, and it makes it a little less awkward because you are doing something to create the perfect space for both of you. If you can learn to get along with your roommate, you might just end up with one of the most lasting and meaningful friendships of your life.

3. Form Study Groups

One great way to get to know people in your classes and to learn the material better is to form study groups. This is really a win-win situation. You can plan fun gatherings where you spend the first hour studying and the second hour socializing.

Sometimes people need a reason to get together when they are first becoming friends, and a study group can be a great reason.

4. Take a Road Trip

Once you have your group of friends more or less in place, one of the most fun friend activities to do together is the road trip. Just make sure you all know the rules before you hit the road. Who’s driving? Who’s car is in the best shape? What’s the plan if something unexpected happens? Do your parents know where you’re going to be? Just make sure you hash all that out.

Nothing is more fun than getting together with some friends, throwing some tunes on the stereo, hitting the road, and anticipating getting to the final destination.

College can be both a fun, social time and a serious time for learning. There’s no need to make it just one of those things!