Overcoming Obstacles Of Becoming A Successful College Student

School had always been something I was good at. All through my academic career, up until my sophomore year of college, school never stressed me out too bad. Trying to be a successful student, employee, friend, and family member can be very overwhelming. Once I entered college I was faced with many obstacles that challenged me to balance all the roles in my life. During my fall semester of my sophomore year in college I experienced the most difficult time ever. I expired burnout, before I knew what burnout was. At the time I did not notice that I was burned out. I thought everybody was experiencing this level of stress; I thought it was the norm for college students. I was taking fifteen credits of required classes to start my core classes in my junior year. The classes I was taking all demanded me to do extensive reading,

It took so much energy out of me. I ended the semester with three Bs and two Cs. I felt so low. I was used to making As and being able to have control of my life. At this point, I felt as though I had completely lost control. This was probably my worst academic semester to date. Once this occurred I had to reevaluate the decisions I was making. I spent Christmas break making changes to my routine and lifestyle. I began to eat healthier, exercise, prioritize, and make time to just relax. Once I started eating better and exercising, I noticed I focused better and slept better at night. I had to make myself and my overall health a priority and success in school would be much easier. If something could not be done I just had to accept it and not stay up too late trying to get it done. I began to manage my time better and work smarter, not harder. Once I realized that I cannot stress over every little thing that was happening in my life I began to see major improvements. My spring semester was much better. I was much happier, did better academically, and my health