Many students, especially those in high school, could benefit from taking a step back and considering the idea of "balance.
" For some, it is all work and no play; getting perfect grades and building up one's resume is considered the most important aspect of one's time in school.
For others, it is all play and no work; homework seems boring, classes are tedious, and the idea of hanging out with friends seems tremendously more appealing than going to school.
Both ends of the spectrum can be problematic for various reasons.
For the students who believe that the only purpose of going to school is getting the perfect grades that will earn them acceptance into the next school, here is a message: those very schools are placing more and more weight on what kind of person you are aside from your transcript.
There is a reason that going to school entails being surrounded by your peers: it allows you to learn about friendship, social skills, and relationships, and it exposes you to new interests, hobbies, and activities.
No matter what your career goals may be, having strong social skills will always set you apart and will make you a more effective communicator, participator, and leader.
However, many students take the opposite approach and develop a stubborn attitude that anything related to academics is inherently useless and a waste of time.
What these students should realize is that most people who shared this mentality during school come to a point later in life where they regret it.
Brushing aside one's academic obligations is not only precarious for one's future success, but it is also wasting the time that one could spend developing a love of learning.
Many people who work full-time agree that they would love to be back in school because they miss being compelled to learn about a variety of subjects.
The students who claim that classwork is "boring" or that it "will never be useful later in life" could not be more wrong.
No matter what you are learning in school, there will always be a time later in life when you can call upon what you learned to make educated decisions.
Therefore, the most effective strategy when it comes to balancing school and a social life is to make sure to focus on balance at all times.
When you receive good grades, reward yourself by spending extra time with your friends doing something you love.
Limit the amount of time each day that you do something social, but do the exact same thing for the amount of time you spend doing homework.
Don't let either academics or socializing take over your life; be sure to include a little bit of both in everything you do.