Life as a student can be hard, and we all know it. Between classes, homework and work, where do you find the time to have a little fun?

“You should learn how to manage your time properly.”

 If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, I’d probably be able to pay my tuition and afford to buy food this week.

Life as a student can be hard, and we all know it. Between classes, homework and work, where do you find the time to have a little fun? This is college, after all, where you’re supposed to party as hard as your roommate does on Friday nights.

But somewhere in all the chaotic project deadlines and teenage alcoholism, there must be a way to get the best of both worlds. And my friends, I think I have found it.

Step one is to be in a program that you actually enjoy. Yes, we all know that not all your classes are fun, but they can be if you make them. When you get the chance to go crazy on a big assignment, do it on something you love! That way you can do your homework and enjoy it too.

For example, I love music, specifically dubstep. I have a huge article due for a magazine, but I did the article on the dubstep scene in Ottawa. Why? Because I got to go to the show I wanted to go to, interview the DJs I like and work in a field that I find exciting, no matter how dull the academic work actually is.

It’s all about finding some kind of internal balance. It might not work for others, but if it works for you, then why not? Find something interesting in what you’re researching, something interesting in that big mouldy gross textbook, because there’s bound to be something in there you think is cool.

If you find it intriguing then you’ll want to study for a few hours. I don’t remember much from high school biology, but I remember the little neat facts that I wanted to learn about.

And I’m all for time management, I think it’s a great thing that would help a lot of people, but once you get to college and you are not on a strictly 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. schedule, it’s a little hard to stay on schedule. Congratulations to the student who writes out a daily schedule and actually sticks to it, but things get in the way.

For those of you like me, who wish there were more hours in a day to accomplish everything, remember to take some time for yourself. Work on that project you have due tomorrow and then go have fun, because that’s the meaning of college: work hard and party hard. If you don’t enjoy yourself while you’re in school, then why are you here?

Nearing the end of the semester, students need to get in gear. Finish those final projects and ace those final exams, but love what you’re doing. It may not be fun to remember chemical compounds or the parts of a computer system, but if you think about actually getting out there in the real world and that makes you happy, then what’s one little test and some studying?

Down the road, the work you do now will benefit you. I’m not your professor, but what I do know is that all the work you have to do that you think is no fun will be fun if you make it so, and it’ll be just a in your life down the road. So enjoy yourself, even if it’s boring you to tears.

Then when all your work it done, go have fun. Stay in and play Modern Warfare 3, or hit up the bars with your friends or get that sleep you’ve been lacking. Eventually, the fun times will come. I promise.