“I have a daily schedule,” said Aggarwal, a junior bioinformatics major. “It really helps to have all my appointments in front of me at every second of the day. I even have to schedule getting a haircut.”
Friday, 8:30 a.m. Aja Wzientek has worked out for an hour and now heads to class. Afterward, she’ll go to intramural volleyball practice and then complete her 32-hour work week at Tops. Beginning and finishing her homework are two thoughts that haven’t even crossed her mind yet. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t have enough time in the day to do everything that needs to get done,” said Wzientek, a junior physical education major. “But I’m totally self sufficient. I pay for my car, my housing, everything. It’s nice to provide for myself, but I’m definitely busy all day, every day.”
Aggarwal and Wzientek are part of a proportioned population of St. Bonaventure University students who demonstrate the difficulty of getting the most out of their college experience while maintaining a stellar grade point average.
Professors and students interviewed all had different advice on how to balance extracurricular activities and schoolwork.
“Time management is everything in college,” said Aggarwal. “To-do lists and schedules make you create goals. Whether your goal is simple or complex – it gives you direction.”
Aggarwal said attending class and maintaining a schedule hold the same importance in his life.
“I don’t have time to study outside of class, so the only time I get to learn something is when it’s being introduced in class,” said Aggarwal. “Even if you do have time to study outside of class, you should still go to every class. It makes studying much easier down the road.”
Aggarwal averages 20 to 21 credits per semester and maintains a 3.8 grade point average. He said he tries not to crisscross class and meetings. Holding leadership positions in three different groups makes that difficult.
As president of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), treasurer of Campus Activities Board (CAB) and president of the service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega (APO), Aggarwal said he dedicates a total of at least 16 hours a week to all three clubs.
“I spend two hours every day, including weekends, developing business models for SIFE,” said Aggarwal. “I spend about one to two hours per week coordinating activities and planning social events for APO and another one to two hours per week managing CAB’s budget.”
Aggarwal said his drive comes from the goals he has set.
“I always try to incorporate my future into what I do,” said Aggarwal. “I ask myself, ‘How will this help me in the future?’ I want to take advantage of everything.”
Wzientek’s reason for being so busy differed.
“My parents don’t have much,” said Wzientek, pronounced ZIN-TEK. “I have to work for everything I want, but it drives me to ensure that my life will be better and easier than theirs.”
Wzientek said she accomplishes this goal by getting the most out of her education and working close to a full-time job.
“I’m taking 18 credits at SBU and three online at JCC,” said Wzientek, who maintains a 3.8 GPA. “It’s more adaptable for me, but it definitely takes up all my time.”
Wzientek said using her planner helps her schedule her packed days.
“I play volleyball, work 32 hours a week at Tops, ref youth sports at the YMCA weekly, tutor and take notes for the Teaching and Learning Center and I’m the secretary of the education honors society, Kappa Delta Phi,” said Wzientek.
Her secret to surviving one week, let alone a semester?
“Me time,” said Wzientek.
“I work until 9:30 on Friday nights, and then I’m done with work for the weekend,” said Wzientek. “I love dancing. It’s really cathartic.”
The summer benefits of Wzientek’s efforts during the academic year also push her to stay busy.
“I’ve been to Europe three times in the past two years,” said Wzientek. “I work hard during the school year, save my money and get to travel to places like Switzerland, Spain, Italy and France. All the hard work really pays off when I get to have experiences like these.”
Chuck Walker, professor of psychology, said students need self control to balance all facets of college life.
“Studies have shown that higher levels of self control lead to better academic performance and more participation in university life,” said Walker.
Other Bona students carry heavy course loads and make time for campus involvement like Aggarwal and Wzientek. They said time management is crucial.
“Staying active, volunteering and filling my day with lots of activities actually help me not get stressed,” said Sam Margulies, a junior biology major.
Margulies, who has a 3.96 GPA, said she takes as many credits as possible each semester and has not gotten below an A minus. But it wasn’t all easy in the beginning.
“My dad’s father died during his first semester of college,” said Margulies. “It made it really hard on my dad, and he didn’t do too well that first year. I wanted to work hard to make my dad proud, so my studies were everything during freshman year. I soon realized I wasn’t enjoying college.”
Since then, Margulies said she has made the best of her time at St. Bonaventure, incorporating her interests into her extracurricular activities.
“I’m in charge of the healthcare division of SIFE, I take ballroom dance classes, I tutor, I’m a member of BonaResponds and Bona Buddies, I have a radio show at the Buzz and I’m a student ambassador,” said Margulies.
BonaResponds and Bona Buddies are two service-oriented groups on campus, said Margulies.
Structure in Margulies’ day reduces stress, she said.
Faculty differed in their opinions on how students can be successful in every aspect of college life.
Mike Threehouse, head coach of the St. Bonaventure softball team, said he holds his players to individual standards.
“I recruit all of my players in high school and get a good look at their high school grades,” said Threehouse, whose team had a mean 3.48 GPA for the fall semester. “I hold them to those high school standards and then look for them to do a bit better.”
Threehouse said he reminds his players that getting an education comes before playing softball.
“They all know that I’ll bench them or take them off the team if they don’t do well academically or aren’t honest with me about their schoolwork,” said Threehouse.
Walker said each student needs to start slowly and work up to balancing more than one task.
“It’s sort of like muscle memory,” said Walker. “You need to focus on one task, and once you gain self control in that task, you can begin to transfer the control to other tasks in life.”
Threehouse agreed.
“It’s all about self determination,” said Threehouse. “Not many people will tell you to go for it. You have to do it yourself. Down the road, in your future, you’ll be happy you pushed yourself.”
JMC 202 Story
No comments:
Post a Comment