Thaneweb: 4 Things that are as important as your academics

February 2019

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There is no doubt in the fact that getting good marks is important. Your academics are the objective representation of your performance in college. After all, you have invested so many resources to get yourself enrolled in your dream college and if that not to gain knowledge then what is it for.

But the ever increasing amount of stress and anxiety that college students face with respect to their academic performance is quite worrying. Almost every student on the college campuses can be seen fretting over their marks at the end of every semester. Students who haven't been able to maintain or improve their marks often depict increased stress levels and lower self-esteem.

Which raises the question, 'are academic grades the most important thing in a student's life'? Well, to be truthful, not entirely. Academic grades are important but so are many other things. For a few years down the line, once you are settled in your career, your grades wouldn't hold much importance. Thus, in this article, we have discussed a few things that are as important as your academics, if not more.

Your General Well Being

'Health is Wealth' this is a very famous proverb and surely you must have heard it somewhere or the other. However, when you consider this saying from the context of a college student you'll see that it quite aptly fits them. Rushing from one lecture to another during the day, fighting off the sleep at night to finish the assignments before the deadline and then taking care of your other responsibilities, college students are burden with quite a lot. And in their struggle to keep up with all this they often miss out on the one thing that's most important, that is, their health. Whether it be physical, mental or spiritual your general health matters a lot. Simply put, if you are not well then, you will not be able to perform your daily tasks with the same efficiency as when you are in the best of your health. Pushing yourself to perform better academically is good but one should be mindful of the fact that you are not doing it at the cost of your health. Pay equal attention to your health, for if you are healthy only then will you be able to perform your best and reap the results of your effort.

The People You Care About

Spending quality time with your loved ones is very important. Studies have often shown that a hug or a lively conversation with a loved one helps a lot in distracting your mind of negative thoughts and also to reduce the stress levels in your mind. So, if you feel that your college is getting in the way of spending some quality time with your friends and family then maybe you need to revise your study schedule or squeeze out some time for your loved ones. From the many things that college teaches you one of them is that relationships matter a lot. Having a support system, people that you can rely upon, people who genuinely care about your well being is essential to lead a happy life. Just think of it, what if you become the richest person in the world but have no one to share that accomplishment with, then would it really bring you any happiness? Certainly not, for success is best enjoyed when you have someone to share it with. So, make sure to take some time out and spend it with your loved ones. Even a small call to your mom asking how she is doing is a great way to stay in touch.

Connections and Skills

When it comes to sending out job applications having a good academic background alone won't suffice. For employers, today are not just looking for great academics but also for practical skill sets and work experience. Learn some extra skills related to your field. You need not become an expert in them but having a basic working knowledge of things can certainly give you an edge over your fellow applicants. The connections that you develop within the industry of your choice also go a long way to help you kick-start your career. Some of you might have come across a scenario where a student with a good academic background is struggling to find a good internship whereas an average student easily finds one in a good organization. Ever wondered how's that possible? Well, the simplest of explanations is that the average student had good connections within the industry. This is the reason why being buried in your books alone isn't going to help you. You need to a little bit social also, for a certain amount of networking is important too. If you are not sure how to network then start small start with your seniors, alumni's, family friends in the industry of your choice, people that you can easily approach. Networking can be done in classes, workshops, extra-curricular activities, on-campus student clubs, conferences, seminars or even online on platforms like LinkedIn.

Other College Life Experiences

College life is said to one of the best phases of a student's life. And that surely doesn't include one being buried in their textbooks and notes all day long. It has so much more to offer than just academics. College is often said to be the place that is meant to train you for your life ahead. Problems faced in college are just a glimpse of what's to come once you graduate. If you are able to strike a balance betweeen your academics and your social life as a college students chances are you'll be able to maintain a better work life balance post college. So, take time out to experience the life outside of your academics be it hanging out with friends, trying out new places in town, learning to play a new instrument, watching movies with friends, traveling etc. Just simply do the things that you enjoy doing. College is meant to be the phase where you form some of the memorable memories of life. Have experiences that you'd be proud of and look back at fondly.

To Conclude,

Surely, the things that you learn in class would help you a lot when you step into the real world after graduating. But there are other things also such as the practical skills like that of money management, prioritizing of tasks, multi-tasking etc. that would help you a lot in both your personal and professional lives and a lot many of these skills are usually developed in college life.

Performing well academically and gaining as much knowledge as you can is essentially your job as a college student and one should strive their best to do it. But that doesn't mean that you forget all other things in life. You must learn to maintain a balance between your academics and things apart from that such as hanging out with friends. Don't be ashamed to have fun and take time out for things apart from your academics and surely do not let anyone else convince you otherwise.

Also read: 5 Skill Programs You Should Focus On

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