Utica students balance work, classes and campus life

Many students have to work while they attend college, which often leads to a strain on their mental health and creates time conflicts.

Students are expected to spend three hours studying per credit. Often, most of the students’ time outside of classes is spent studying and homework. However, school is not the only thing in students’ lives; they must also keep up with other extracurricular activities, their social life and their professional life. Due to this, many students experience stress and often become overwhelmed with things to do.

“I have a great job as a receptionist, so I’m able to do homework while I’m at work, so I’m getting paid for that, which is great,” said Mickia Ballard, a freshman at Utica. “And weekends are for homework, but also for friends, so I don’t lose my sanity.”

Often times, on campus jobs may allow students to work on homework while also clocked into their jobs, which allows students to maximize their time. However, not all students get the luxury of being able to multitask at their jobs.

“I have a very detailed calendar and a lot of alarms, and I set time aside to get all my assignments done,” said Peyton Boyce, a data analyst for the Utica University Career Readiness Center. “It helps that I’m allowed to do them at work when nothing else is going on.”

Many students must allocate a large chunk of their time towards studying and school, so much so that they often forget to take time for themselves. As a remedy, many students have found that they are able to manage their time better with the help of their calendars and phone reminders.

“I use a lot of reminders,” said Benjamin Servo. “It helps that it shows a lot of our shifts on Outlook, and then you’re allowed to use the breaks between classes.”

By organizing their daily schedules, students have said that they are less likely to forget an assignment or an important test. For some, it is a way to control their busy lives and take one task at a time, instead of having a sense of impending doom with their workload.

“I just make a schedule of what exactly my day-to-day is like,” said Amal Adil, a resident assistant on campus. “I make note of my classes, exactly what time I’m going to leave my class, exactly what time I’m going to do my work and go to the library to make sure I get everything done before I go to work.”

On campus, jobs aren’t the only things students have going on; many also have internships on top of their heavy workload. With busy class schedules and extracurriculars, students have found themselves working late night or early morning shifts at their job because it is the only time they are free.

“Taking 19 credits and having an internship this semester has taught me a lot about time management, and using your time effectively during the day, even if it’s before class,” said senior Grace Christopher. “I used to never come to school before class to get work done, but now I’ve utilized the mornings, because I am free, to get work done for the week.”

Students who feel like they are struggling or need someone to talk to can reach out to the Student Counseling Services and make an appointment by emailing [email protected] or calling (315) 792-3094. The office is located in room 204 in Strebel Student Center.

If you feel like you are struggling with classes and are looking for some extra help, reach out to the peer tutors on campus by making an appointment on the Navigate app or you can do a drop-in visit.

Utica students balance work, classes and campus life

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