Thursday is both a good and bad day for me. It is good because I usually have all of my work done for the week. I also have an 11 a.m. class on Friday, meaning I can hang out with friends without stressing about homework or waking up early. However, Thursday is also the day I need to plan my schedule for the upcoming week. I copy and paste the readings and assignments from my all of my classes’ syllabi onto a sticky note on my MacBook, choosing which days I will be able to complete them. Though I often end up moving my homework around throughout the week due to my busy schedule, I ultimately aim to stick to my sticky note agenda on a daily basis.
Having my homework planned out every week has certainly been beneficial to me. It not only helps me turn in my assignments and complete my readings on time but it also helps me keep track of my exams, projects and other significant grades. Nonetheless, always trying to stay on schedule makes it easy for me to get stuck in an individualist mindset. Of course, I love spending time and having fun with my friends, but I am ultimately at U.Va. to prepare for my future career and academic endeavors. Thus, when it comes to homework, I often feel compelled to place work over time with friends.
Do not get me wrong; I do not consider myself a workaholic. I am not always in the library or at my desk in my room by myself. I sometimes study with friends during the school week and do social activities with them on the weekend. I also try my best to help friends when they ask me to. For instance, one of my friends has difficulty with planning and organizing. While I am not the best at these things myself, I oftentimes help her with organizing her room, planning her assignments and going through her abundance of emails.
Another friend of mine was recently feeling down and needed to talk to someone. Though I was in the middle of doing homework, I quickly pushed it aside and invited her to come over. She vented to me about the problems and disappointments she was facing while I offered her words of comfort and reassurance. Though I was not able to fix her problems, I was happy to be a source of support for her.
Nonetheless, an unexpected time with a friend recently made me realize that I may be neglecting some of my friends. I initially had come to her room to talk about a problem relating to our friend, but we soon found out that our friend no longer needed help. Because I had not hung out with her in quite some time, I ended up staying over for a little while. From our current classes to summer plans, we had many things to catch up on.
When it was time for me to head home, I expressed to her how much I missed hanging out with her, partially blaming myself for not making more of an effort to see her more often. Giving her a hug goodbye, I promised her that I would spend more time with her before the semester ended. A smile filled my face as I drove back to my apartment. Though I still had a good amount of homework to do, catching up with her had been time well spent.
This time with my friend also caused me to think more about my other friends at the University that I had not seen in awhile. I was not purposely ignoring them, but I certainly could be making more of an effort to see them. Instead of doing homework while eating lunch and dinner, I could share a meal with them a few times a week. Instead of going to the store alone, I could ask them if they want to tag along. Instead of doing homework in my room, I could study with them in the library more often, even if it is in the quiet room.
These simple actions would let them know that I appreciate and value our time together. Whether they are struggling with a problem or just want to hang out, I want them to know that I will be there for them at U.Va. and beyond.
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