Ash Pickett is a Business Administration Junior and opinion columnist for Mustang News. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.
Water, earth, fire, air…the four elements that work together in harmony.
How about the four elements of a college student’s life, though? Nobody ever talks about that.
It might be because I came up with it myself on a 6 a.m. walk to campus. Today I present what I think are the four realms of a college student’s life – Health & Wellbeing, Relationships & Community, Career & Future, and Academics & Learning – and the phenomenon I’ve noticed: they’re next to impossible to balance all at once, and one of them always seems to get sacrificed in some way even while the other three might thrive.
I’ll also provide you with reflection questions to 1) determine how much you’re prioritizing that category of your life, and 2) determine how much you value that category.
Health & Wellbeing
This is often the first to go for students when things hit the fan. We’ve all seen the Rec empty out in the midst of midterms and finals week. Should it be the sacrificial lamb, though, when the academic weapons of the world begin to lock in?
The body and mind work in harmony, and many people fail to realize that when they de-prioritize their psychological and physiological health in favor of something else: grades, financial struggles, jobs, or whatever it may be.
The foundation of your best possible life begins with your holistic health. Going to the gym, walking, meditating, journaling, going to therapy, coloring, sitting in a coffee shop…little things, big impact.
Reflection Question: How many days out of the last two weeks did you take intentional time for yourself to work out, focus on a hobby, work on a personal project or practice your beliefs/faith?
Values Question: Do you wish you had made more time to be present?
Relationships & Community
I honestly don’t see relationships and community take a back seat very often at Cal Poly. This is a very social environment, and I think it’s to the benefit of everyone. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, though.
If you’ve ever felt lonely, which I assume you have, you might’ve been subconsciously de-prioritizing your close and most meaningful relationships. I’d urge you to recognize when that’s happening and try to bring them back to light.
My favorite study to reference is the ongoing Harvard Study of Adult Development, because it can relate to so many facets of human life. The most important takeaway, however, is that above all, the quality of a person’s close relationships is what brings them the most fulfillment and longevity.
Reflect on the friendships you made in college, the people you spend the most time around naturally (classes, roommates, etc) and your relationships outside of college (family, high school friends). These people should be building you up, and you should be doing the same for them.
I’d also throw in a strong sense of community as a crucial factor to living a good life. Cal Poly has over 400 student organizations, most of which are welcoming and not as intensely selective as they might be at a larger institution. My hope is that every single person reading this article has their community in some form, formally organized or otherwise, but I know that might not be reality.
As a freshman, I went to a different club meeting every week and applied and interviewed for five different organizations. I even joined the Sailing Club for a brief trial and went to a regatta after never having sailed before. Finally, I landed exactly where I felt I needed to be in a few other organizations, and it uplifted every other aspect of my life (career, academics, health, etc).
If you want to bolster your sense of community, I encourage you to really put yourself out there.
Reflection Question: Who are the most important people in your life right now, and how have you been prioritizing them or not this quarter?
Values Question: How fulfilling is it for you to spend quality time with the people you care about?
Career & Future
Carpe Diem! Yes, yes, it’s a great phrase. Live in the moment. But reality is here, and in case you’re sacrificing your future irresponsibly for your present self, it’s checking you.
I don’t care if your career path is conventional or not, it’s still very important to think about now. A third of your life is spent at work. If you set yourself up well, that third of your life can be exciting and fulfilling, it can provide for you and your loved ones and you can look back on it at the end of your life with no regrets.
Although it’s not always as easy as prioritizing your career and future. It’s often put on hold when other realms of college ramp up.
We might distract ourselves from making future plans by making excuses: I can’t look for an internship because I have to ace my midterm; I can’t apply for jobs because I’m too busy between work and extracurriculars. Sometimes, these excuses are actually valid, and we must sacrifice this realm whether we want to or not.
Many students also experience decision paralysis in planning their futures. There are so many options out there, yet it can seem like what we really want is incredibly hard to achieve. We might not even know what we want, making it all the more difficult to plan ahead.
Honorable mentions for this category are personal finances and general future plans. I’m a big proponent of spending money on experiences, but I also support the flip side of the coin, which is being responsible with your money to protect yourself now and in the future.
As for future plans–marriage, kids, owning property, traveling, etc.–I think your approach is completely up to you. You might be a Type A planner or a go-with-the-flow, but either way, the future you is still you, and you have to look out for yourself. That happens now.
Reflection Question: If someone you look up to asked you how your career and/or future plans are working in action, would you feel confident and proud in sharing your answer with them?
Values Question: What kind of future do you want, and how well does that align with who you are now?
Academics & Learning
Speaking of careers and future, there’s the flip side where many students neglect true learning in favor of getting the best grade possible to support their future. It’s more than common for students to cram the night before a test then forget it all once they’re finished. That’s not real learning, in my opinion.
Even if you are getting good grades, you might be sacrificing your academics and learning in some way.
In that sense, if getting the highest grade possible with the lowest possible effort is your jam, I support it. I’ve also known many people with a “C’s get degrees” mindset who still become wildly successful, so if that’s your jam, I support that, too.
What I want to emphasize is that I encourage everyone, regardless of their perspective on conventional grades, to pursue learning in some challenging form.
We’re at a period of our lives where our brains are still ripe to absorb information and have the capacity to work hard for long periods of time. I think it’s of extreme importance for college students to realize this and push themselves to learn, whether it be inside or outside of their major.
Some of the best ways to accomplish this in a non-classroom setting are through reading, listening to podcasts, watching educational or informative videos and talking to subject matter experts (Hint: reach out to people you find interesting, and chat with them! You will have some of the most impactful conversations of your life by doing this).
Unique and intellectually stimulating learning doesn’t even have to be outside of the classroom either; it can be done with a minor or even supplementary GE requirement classes. I’m personally taking six distinct classes throughout my college education that count for basically nothing for my degree, and they’ve been some of the most rewarding and exciting classes I’ve ever taken.
Reflection Question: How have you been able to manage your academics and learning throughout your college experience, and are you happy with that level of management?
Values Question: What kind of learning outside of your major are you motivated to do to fulfill your curiosity?
Reflections
We’ve covered the four realms of a college student’s life. Here are my final questions, knowing all that information:
Reflection Question: Which realm(s) are you sacrificing right now in favor of the others, if any?
Values Question: How do you see yourself striking an ideal balance between the four of these based on how much you value each one?
My advice when answering these questions is to not beat yourself up if you have to sacrifice one or more of these realms from time to time. Life is almost always guaranteed to be unbalanced in some way, and if it was easy to balance it we’d be living in a much different world.
You should also keep in mind that what you’re choosing to prioritize can change as much as daily, even hourly. There have been weeks where I’ve forgotten to reach out to the people I care about most in favor of my career pursuits, and some where I’ve forgotten to set up steps for my future because I’m so focused on how fun college is.
By balancing these four realms to the best of your ability, even when they falter and shift, you’ll see striking success and fulfillment in your college career. Best of luck.
