Sleep, Grades, or Social Life: Choose two

Yoda is very wise.

In college you have three necessary responsibilities required to balance and most every incoming freshman thinks they can only successfully choose two. The common saying is "sleep, social, or school- choose two!"
You can choose to get plenty of sleep. You can dedicate your time towards making good grades, or option  three is you can choose to participate in a wild and awesome social life. All three are necessary components of the college experience and one way or another, the student will realize the importance of time management. Some catch on easier than others, it may only take them a month of sleep deprivation and failing grades to get their priorities straight, for other classmates it may take years of being in and out of enrollment for them to figure out what they want. Too much of a good thing is an accurate expression, and after months of sleeping in and partying many realize they have too much potential and are tired of watching their peers pass them by in life.

Getting plenty of sleep is a necessity of life. Waking up refreshed with a clear mind and full of energy is a wonderful start to a productive day. However, as the freshman quickly learns, time spent awake is often a balancing act in regards to energy and productivity. Sleep is the first of the three responsibilities to go, before grades or social life. Ironically, once asleep it may take priority over school or social life. So get used to setting that alarm an hour or so early, and begin to hate the snooze button as much as the rest of the world. Biologically, without sleep the brain cannot function and lack of sleep can ultimately be lethal. It's obviously very important to keep a healthy sleep schedule which is easier said than done.

Next is the students' requirement to make good grades and keep a solid academic standing. Known on the streets as an "all-nighter," intense periods of studying before the test, known by the users as "cramming" can often have significantly positive results. When you need to study for a test, staying up all night to study is certainly a common decision. The only problem is that the knowledge gained in the short period of studying is stored in the short term memory, making cumulative exams a challenge. Cramming also is a way to fall behind in class participation because the student will expect to simply learn everything the night or even morning before.  Researchers have found that a good sleep before an important test is necessary for your brain to process, absorb, and store the newly learned information.
Students will also find that staying out into the early morning and then expecting themselves to be awake with only three or four hours of sleep to start the day is very difficult. Dreading waking up for an improperly prepared test is an easy way to be absent or perform poorly. I recommend getting at least eight hours of sleep the night before and important class or exam. Without making good grades, or showing up for classes, why are you even at college? Wouldn't it make sense to just avoid the stress by staying at home -though you would lose your independence- and not waste your time or money- if you are going to decide to sleep and party? Academics is the primary reason you are attending college, so make sure that you recognize its importance and a necessary goal for accomplishment.

The one responsibility that parents believe is the easiest to control is the aspect of the students social life. Parents, though not as naive as many think, realize that saying going to a party is often less beneficial than doing homework. This is the age old battle and you have probably been dealing with the conflict of school versus fun since you were in grade school. Back then, the argument was over time spent playing Mario Kart or having to learn your spelling words. As social creatures, we crave having fun and socializing with our friends. However, this can easily overflow and outweigh the other "less fun" but more necessary areas of our life. Also, when alcohol or drama is added to the social life, as it often is, studying or sleeping can be difficult to do. Sleep can be challenging if you are constantly thinking about the argument last night between two friends or if you are on the phone talking to the girl you met earlier at the party. Furthermore, studying becomes almost impossible if you are hungover or still buzzing from last night's party. Social life weighs heavily on the college student because they think they are expected to party. Another negative consequence is that all good parties happen at night! I'll exclude that awesome laser tag party you went to a decade ago when the pizza was finished and the party was finished by dinner. By the time you're in college, a well-spent night often ends around 5am when it's time for a Waffle House run, or "Fourth Dinner."

The running joke of these three 'S' options: sleep, school, or social- is that only two can be done Successfully (a fourth 'S' ?). This is simply not true and as new students learn the importance of managing their time and how to balance his priorities, the student will find that it is completely possible and ultimately necessary to find an adequate balance if they want to enjoy their college experience. It is possible to even combine these essentials or variations of them. For example, try finding a study group that you enjoy spending time with. This will help with school and socializing. Try and do your homework right after class (what is he thinking?!) so that the material will be fresh in your mind and you will have that much more free time to socialize or sleep. Don't procrastinate or wait until the last minute, that way you can go out on the weekend (or whenever- yea there are parties going on outside of the weekend- welcome to college) and not have to worry about the latest assignment or test. Then again, ignore all this and learn for yourself. After a few weeks of two hours of sleep and sloppy test results, human nature will forge you into a cliche college student.