Welcome into my mind! It’s split into six major sections: academics, social life, sleep, food, clubs, and money. Let’s break this down to find out what I spend my time thinking and worrying about.
The top is split into academics and social life, split evenly because this is what I think about the most.
Academics: Academics are the most important thing in my life right now, because I’m in college! I’m here first and foremost to get a good education and give myself opportunities for growth. I dedicate a lot of time and brain power to staying on top of my academics to make sure I do well in my classes and learn the material. College can be fun, but in my opinion, academics needs to be my first priority, which is why it’s the first thing in my brain. This brain power is dedicated to planning out my day and deciding the best way to study among others.
Social Life: I am a very big people person and I thrive off other people’s energy! College is a totally different environment with so many new people to meet and I really try to meet everyone. My friends actually make fun of me because it seems like I know everyone. Whenever I walk around campus or I’m eating at the Anteatery, I say hi to a lot of people that I know, even though I don’t even live there! I love meeting new people and spending time to really get to know them so my social life is also really important to me. I dedicate a lot of time maintaining these relationships and checking in on my friends to make sure they’re doing okay. I tend to worry about others, because I genuinely care which fills up a significant portion of my brain.
Sleep: Academics and social life rest on top of sleep because sleep is so crucial for me to function. I know a lot of people who can run on three hours of sleep each day, but this is not me. I need at least five hours of sleep to function and succeed in my academics and social life. Without enough sleep, I’m easily irritated and can’t focus, harming both my social life and academics. Sleep is essential. I always do the math when I’m studying to see what time I need to sleep at to get my minimum five hours or plan out naps in the day to fill in the holes. College tip: take naps! Listen to your body when it says it’s tired!
Food: It’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but I spend a lot of time thinking about when and what I’m going to eat next. Please keep reading so I can explain what I mean! As a busy college student with a lot of clubs and responsibilities, I sometimes forget to eat so I need to think about the next time I have to eat so I can stay energized. Also I love that the dining halls post their menus online so I can see what I’m going to have that day. Sometimes if food at Pippins sounds bad, I’ll plan to walk all the way to the Anteatery for better food. There’s no shame in that. If I’m going to put food into my body, I’d rather have it be something I enjoy eating. I definitely go on the dining hall website more than I should.
Clubs: Club meetings are so hard for me to remember if I don’t go consistently because it’s not set in my schedule so I often have to try and remember them. Especially with Trance (Vietnamese Traditional Dance), the practices tend to change so I need to really be on top of it and make sure I don’t miss practices. Some brain power is used to remember the choreography too since I’m pretty forgetful. As an intern, I also need to help come up with new ideas for after events or improvements for future events!
$$$: College is expensive. It’s so easy to go out all the time with UTC right there or spend all your money buying food on ring road, but I’m always thinking about how to save money and not spend it unless I need to or it’s a special occasion. I have the dining hall with food I already paid for so I really try to avoid going out and spending money because I feel like I’m wasting the food I already paid for. Also, I always try to save money when I can by using Cartwheel at Target! I would highly recommend it!
There’s so many things to think about and keep track of during college, but these are my main six!