Adjusting to university life is a challenge. Students struggle to achieve a balance between their studies, home life, and social life. Thankfully Bishop’s offers several services to help students with this adjustment. Here are two resources and a tip that have helped me better balance my social and academic life.
Academic Coaching
If you want to be able to enjoy the semester without stressing about your assignments, being well-prepared in advance is the way to go! At first, I tried organizing my semester myself; however, that didn’t go so well. Luckily, I stumbled upon the Academic Coaching office when heading to administration.
The main goal of Academic Coaching is to help students organize their academic year, all at once or one semester at a time. They aid students in developing strategies to help retain information and to direct students to the right resources if needed. With Academic Coaching, I was able to figure out when all my assignments were due, put them in a calendar, and develop strategies to ensure I got a head start on most assignments. With this coaching, I was able to stay on top of my assignments and enjoy my semester. So, if you are trying to plan out your academic year or just having difficulties studying, I strongly recommend booking an appointment.
Writing Centre
During one of my appointments at Academic Coaching, it was recommended that I should visit The Writing Centre. I have always had difficulties with writing assignments. So, after a quick introduction, I knew this was the place for me!
The Writing Centre is a highly underrated resource that every student should utilize. It has been a lifesaver on multiple occasions.
The Writing Centre provides “free 45-minute consultations” to help Bishop’s University students with any written assignments and to review their EWP Exams and Write for Success essays. Get help with planning, organizing, outlining, sentence structure, grammar, referencing and citations. Improve your writing skills, learn helpful writing strategies, cite and reference correctly, and practice for the EWP Exam” (WC webpage). They’re true to their words.
I was shocked at how much they can offer students with their assignments. Since my first meeting, the second I’m having writer’s block and need ideas or help with my outline, I book a meeting. It’s also good to have them look over your final copy to review and correct any last details you might have missed.
For me, this resource is an absolute cheat code and is essential to help balance my academic life. I believe it could do the same for you!
Find your rhythm
One thing I notice is that students tend to get overwhelmed with assignments and let their social lives be neglected. While Academic Coaching can help, sometimes too much is just too much and, in this case, it’s best to just drop a class. You can always retake the class the next time it’s offered! You don’t need to be the same as anyone else and you certainly shouldn’t be ashamed. It’s all about finding your rhythm.
Bishop’s has really made an effort to show students that academic culture is important. Throughout the campus, you’ll find a variety of areas to study and have access to many resources. Without these resources, I can honestly say lots of students, myself included, would be having a much harder time balancing their social and academic lives. Taking advantage of these spaces and resources helps improve one’s academic life, leading to a better-balanced social life.
