One of the hardest things to do in college is stay grounded; there are parties, relationships, classes and all of the university events to worry about in addition to keeping your sanity. It can be overwhelming for anyone — whether you’re a freshman or a super senior. So how do you tackle all the worries without all the drama? Simple … you ask alumni. I’ve asked Christina Walsh to give me a little insight on how to get through college.
Like many of us, Walsh didn’t come to Florida Gulf Coast University with the ideas of balance and organization. Originally, she was the typical student who thought that her high school study habits were going to fly in college, but when she found out she wasn’t meeting her expectations she resolved to reflect on her regular day to day activities and go from there. This is how she balanced her academic and social life: she looked at when most of her socializing took place and designated the opposite time to study. So let’s say you like to go out at night, then you’d wake up either in the afternoon or in the morning to study. It may take a while to get use to, but by setting a routine for your social life and academic life, you’ll allow both to coexist without the fear of self-destruction.
To start the year off right, Walsh advises to choose the gym over Netflix — and not just so she could look good. She found that by squeezing in a couple squats and laying down the clicker she had more energy to get back to work and finish studying. She also suggests making a checklist and rewarding yourself when you accomplish a goal with either a movie night, a nail day/night, or whatever floats your boat.
Now we all know that academics are only half of the college experience, and your social life is another 25 percent, but what about the remaining quarter? They consist of the catfights, peer pressures and self-esteem roller coasters. During the first two years of college, Walsh struggled with her confidence. Instead of focusing on how pretty other women looked she decided to combat low self-esteem by looking in the mirror to find things she liked about herself. “I like my eyes, my hair, and my smile.”
Walsh is a 21-year-old FGCU graduate from Sarasota, Florida. She is attending Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Tampa. Her hobbies include watching Netflix and more Netflix.  While attending FGCU she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha and worked hard to balance her social life with her academics.