Final Paper 2
Laura Tolkamp
Journalism
Paper #2 Draft 1
15 October 2009
Is it too much? Sports, homework, student council, class, jobs, social time, sleep, and all the other groups and activities available on campus keep college students extremely busy.
In college, students have to juggle classes, hours of homework, and any other activities they are involved in. The vast majority of students are in one or more extracurricular activities. Many hold jobs off and on campus to help pay for tuition and other expenses at school. Student athletes are under a lot of pressure during their sport’s season as well as during the off-season.
Students are thrown into all the activities quickly, and they need to learn how to manage their time and the stress that comes along with everything they are doing. Some students realize they are doing too much and cut back, others do not realize it and become frazzled, and some students believe they are doing fine.
Kristalyn Bielik, a sophomore at Morningside College, plays volleyball and takes sixteen credit hours. She is considering not playing volleyball anymore because it takes up so much time and the stress level is not worth it to her. Bielik said she wants time to do to Bible studies, mission trips, and other experiences she is missing out on because of volleyball.
“When I go to a Bible study, I get anxious because I feel like I should be spending those three hours studying,” Bielik said. She just does not have the time to do everything she wants to do, but does not want to give up her activities.
Another Morningside sophomore, Natasha Hemmelrick, has had to cut down on the amount of things she does. Last year, Hemmelrick worked three jobs and took sixteen credit hours. She said she had trouble managing her time and getting everything done she needed to. This year, she holds two work-study positions on campus which total five hours a week.
“I’m doing much better this semester”, Hemmelrick said. “I take my homework and do it at my work-study jobs.”
Time management is a necessity for college students. Morningside junior Chelsi Bissel knows this, maybe too well. She has a work-study position as well as an off-campus job where she works 25 hours a week. Along with her two jobs, she is an officer in Alpha Omicron Pi, a campus sorority, and President of the Photography Club.
“The Photo Club only meets once a month, but as president I have to prepare for the meeting. It doesn’t take much time though. AOπ does things about twice a week, so along with work, classes, and studying, I’m pretty busy”, Bissel said.
Is she too busy? When asked if she felt like she was missing out on anything, Bissel laughed and said, “Just life.” But others would say it looks like she is living college life to the fullest. The experience of having too much to do and not enough time to do it all, and learning how to prioritize and juggle is one thing that college teaches students.
For students who are struggling with stress and time management, most colleges have counselors on staff to help students deal with it. Dr. Brenda Crawford is a licensed psychologist and personal counselor at Morningside College, and she has plenty of advice to share with students about managing stress.
“The biggest thing you can do to reduce stress is learn how to manage your time,” Crawford said. “And learn to say no”.
Students also need to know that some stress can be a good thing because it motivates us. “If we didn’t have stress, we wouldn’t get much done”, Crawford said.
Finding the fine line between good stress and too much stress is difficult, and it is different for everyone. Tools are out there to help like pamphlets, questionnaires, and people like Brenda Crawford. Crawford encourages students to use the resources available to them because those who do benefit greatly.