Is school supporting you or is school ruling you? School should revolve around you; you shouldn’t revolve around it. Many students allow school to dominate their life when in fact school is supposed to support their life.

Education is merely one part of our whole self. In addition to education, a holistic experience includes emotional, physical, professional, cultural, spiritual, nutritional, and/or financial development. If you ask most students, they will agree that more learning takes place outside of the classroom than within it. Nonetheless, students tend to focus 80% of their energy on strictly academics and then try to squeeze the rest of themselves into the other 20% of their time. That is imbalanced and stressful.

Education is meant to support us, therefore, our life and our vision should be at the center. When we have balance in our lives, we perform better all around. Our majors, minors, classes, extracurricular activities, and academic relationships should support who we are. It’s one thing to be focused and it is another thing to be consumed. Focus on your personal development and customize your academic experience to fit you. If school isn’t giving you everything you need to grow, then it is up to you to find or create the environment you need to excel. College is not a Miracle-Grow solution; the degree to which you grow is determined by you.

Live purposefully!