Blog Posts

How to Find a Balance Between Academics and Your Social Life

Heading off to university is a huge transition. One of the biggest challenges is meeting the higher academic standards, which is often difficult due to the amount of freedom you suddenly have. For instance, a major aspect of university is making new friends and socializing, but this may interfere with your studies if you’re not disciplined. To make sure you give your academics the attention they deserve at the same time as having great experiences and making lifelong friends, here are a few things you can d o. 1. Add Key Dates to Your Calendar When you become aware of an important date, add it to your calendar. This should include deadlines for big assignments, exams, trips, and important social events. You’ll then be able to work backwards, such as dividing up work on a project over several weeks before it’s due and making sure you finish your homework ahead of time if you know you’ll be away for a weekend. 2. Create a Weekly Routine Having a schedule is a great way to stay on track with due dates while striking a balance between academics and socializing. At the start of every semester, decide what your weekly routine will look like, taking into account all your fixed activities, like classes, study groups, and clubs. Then, fit all your other commitments around these. Particularly important is finding the time for homework — for every one hour of classes, expect to dedicate two hours to homework. Keep the rest of your schedule free. This will enable you to take advantage of any invitations to social events and unexpected adventures that pop up without worrying about them cutting into your study time. 3. Use All Your Time At university, it’s common to have breaks throughout the day between classes and clubs. Take advantage of these small pockets for studying and socializing. For instance, half an hour may be enough time to finish your required readings in the campus library or catch up with a friend over coffee. As a result, you’ll have more time later in the day for activities that take longer. 4. Stay Focused Focus on one activity at a time. If you try to multitask, you won’t be giving your studies your full attention (meaning your homework will take longer and the quality will suffer) and you won’t be completely there for your friends. Choose spots to study where you won’t be distracted, don’t use sessions with your study group as a chance to socialize, and put away your phone whenever you don’t need it. 5. Set Limits Remember you are trying to strike a healthy balance. This means making sure you spend plenty of time with your friends but also being ready to turn down invitations if you know you should be studying. Similarly, it means ensuring you study enough, but it doesn’t mean going overboard. If you’re on track to meet your deadlines, allow yourself to take a break. Something that will make a big difference when balancing your academics and social life is your student housing. Kingston has the ultimate student living community at Foundry Princess. You’ll be able to study more effectively because you’ll have a desk in your private bedroom as well as access to multiple individual and group study areas. Plus, you’ll be able to socialize without leaving the building. Just a few of our outstanding amenities include a community clubhouse, a rooftop patio, and an outdoor swim ming pool. Contact us now for a lease.

A Complete Guide: What to Bring for Classes

You’re likely to have a case of the jitters on the first day of classes at university. Curb your anxiety by making sure you feel ready: use this guide to prepare everything you’ll need for your classes in advance. 1. A Map of Campus It’s a good idea to figure out where your classes will be before your first day. To give yourself extra confidence in case you do get lost, though, it’s also worth having a map on hand. Most universities provide students with a digital map they can check on their phones. 2. Your Laptop You should bring a laptop to class even if you intend to take notes by hand. It will be easier to search for information on your laptop than on your phone, and you may be able to use breaks to do some homework. 3. School Supplies Fill your backpack with all the school supplies you may need for classes. This includes notebooks ( perhaps one for each class), a folder for handouts, pens or pencils, highlighters, and a flash drive. 4. Materials You Need for Classes Check the syllabus for each of your classes or the emails you’ve received from your professors to make sure you have any additional materials you need. As well as textbooks, this may include a specialized calculator or software downloaded to your laptop. 5. A Reusable Water Bottle Keeping a water bottle on you at all times is a great way to ensure you stay hydrated and will avoid you needing to purchase drinks on campus (which may be expensive and sugary). There will likely be places to fill up your water bottle all around campus. 6. Some Snacks You’re also going to be hungry during the day. Bring some snacks for between meals to ensure hunger doesn’t interfere with your focus in class. Packing snacks will also mean you don’t need to search for food between classes, which may be challenging when you’re still becoming familiar with where everything is on campus. 7. The Right Clothes for the Weather Check the weather forecast for the day to ensure you’re wearing comfortable clothes. If you’re prone to feeling chilled, bring a light hoodie in case some of your classrooms are especially cold. It’s also worth packing a poncho or umbrella in case of rain — keep one in your backpack for whenever you need it. 8. A Positive Attitude Although it’s not something you can pack, you should definitely try to bring a positive attitude on your first day. Believe in yourself — although some of your classes may be challenging, you will be able to succeed if you put your mind to it. At university, you typically need to dedicate around two hours to studying in your own time for every hour you spend in class. This means preparing for time outside of classes is also important. One thing you need to do is find a quiet place to study. This is easy when you live in the Kingston student housing rentals at Foundry Princess. You’ll have a comfortable spot to study in your fully-furnished private bedroom as well as access to multiple group and individual study areas. Check out all our other grea t amenities by taking a virtual tour.