Resources and advice on finding the right balance between academic and personal life. Work-life balance Starting a new degree, whether that be undergraduate or postgraduate, comes with a lot of unknowns, especially when moving to a new country where you also have to find new friends, new hobbies, and potentially a job. This also puts a lot of pressure on finding the right balance between academic and personal life. Focusing too much on studying might mean losing out on social life and hobbies, but equally spending too much time on social activities may affect your grades. It is therefore important to find a balance that can allow you to stay on top of your academic life, while pursuing the things that you enjoy, or even working part-time. While this can feel difficult there are steps that you can take. Theoretical Perspective Theoretical perspective Work-life balance as a concept can broadly be understood as managing to effectively accomplish your work or studies requirements, while maintaining a social life, personal interests and hobbies (Venezia & Jaeger, 2013). Coming to a new university as an international student can make keeping this kind of balance difficult, as you learn how to navigate your new different academic system. For example, you might find that for many of your courses most of the work is self-structured, which can be especially demanding when it comes to establishing your workload balance. It might be tempting to either invest all your time in your academic life, or spend most of your time on social activities. However, this can be problematic, as poor work-life balance is shown to negatively affect your wellbeing. People who don’t dedicate time for social activities outside their work or study, have been shown to be less productive than people who have a healthy balance (Ong & Ramia, 2007). References Ong, D., & Ramia, G. (2009). Study-work-life balance and the welfare of international students. Labour & Industry: a journal of the social and economic relations of work, 20(2), 181-206. Venezia, A., Jaeger, L. (2013) Transitions from High School to College. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1015237.pdf Context for scholars Travelling to a new country to start university already comes with a lot of challenges, and a lot of new things that you have to do on top of navigating a different academic system. You might also be feeling a pressure to live up to expectations that come with being a scholarship student and the need to excel in your studies. Such feelings are normal, and it is important to acknowledge them. However, to allow yourself to experience the scholarship experience as being truly transformational, it is important to remember the following three points: Research shows that people who have a healthy work-life are shown to perform better in their academic life Life is easier if you manage to find something that makes your new home country feel like home, whether this is a hobby or new friendships Every experience you have (including spending time with friends, hobbies, sports, etc.) helps to shape you into a well-rounded individual Practical suggestions Make priorities. Figure out what things are most important to you – it can even be a good idea to make a list. This can help you spend time on things that are important to you. This might also involve sometimes saying no to things that are not high on your list of priorities. Manage your time. Planning your time and setting a schedule is a good way to have a healthy balance. Plan your free time. Make sure you plan things to do during the weekends and try to spend your time creatively when you are not working. Choose a quiet place for working. When you have scheduled time for work, try to avoid distractions such as social media, TV, and so forth. Talk with people if it becomes difficult. There will be times when life seems difficult and overwhelming. In these cases, find someone to talk to. This can be friends, family, or seeking help from the university’s advice or counselling services. Mastercard foundation scholars’ experiences Read and view, first-hand, experiences from Mastercard foundation scholars. Photovoice book When the pressure started getting too much, I tried becoming realistic with the use of my time. There's so much that is expected, so then naturally, you begin to prioritise. Mastercard scholar Trying to find a new hobby that I should maybe try and develop as I look for other things. Because one thing I've been trying to understand in life is that you keep moving, that's inevitable. You are going to get a job. For some people you apply for one job and boom, they've got it or other people have to apply for many. It's just a matter of fixing all those aspects in life, but at the same time, trying to make the most of it now. Mastercard scholar I'm trying to read more books. When I was in my master's degree, I couldn't read any novels and I used to love reading novels. I'm trying to go back into that. We were in a lockdown, so I didn't get to do some partying. I'm so ready for Halloween now. I've been planning my Halloween attire and so many different things. Instead of worrying about, "Oh my gosh, what's the next big step in my career?" I'm trying to live now because this is what I do have right in front of me. Mastercard scholar Useful links Balancing My Social Life Balancing Social Life and Academics | FamilyTutor 6 Ways to Balance Personal, Academic, and Professional Life | SmallBizClub Balancing Academics, Social Life & Extracurricular Activities | The Jed Foundation This article was published on 2024-06-24
