Too Many Activities, Too Little Time

By: Kristi Painter

As a new college student I have been asked many times which clubs or sports I plan on joining. When I say that I am not sure yet I get some unusual looks which might be surprise, displeasure, or annoyance. Living in a busy world, it is hard to keep an open schedule with time to relax. On page six of Your Guide to College Success: Strategies for Achieving Your Goals, John Santrock and Jane Halonen argue that involvement in extracurricular activities improves your academic standing. While that seems to be the accepted belief, I find that extracurricular activities can add greatly to a student’s stress and affect their grades in a negative manner.

Santrock and Halonen state that “leisure activities” such as sports and leadership organizations are important when trying to balance your study life. These activities, however, are anything but leisure; preparing for a sport takes a large portion of physical preparation and energy and being a member of a leadership organization can take a lot of mental preparation and time. These all add to the stress that is already present at school and restrict the amount of time a student has for mandatory schoolwork. If a student needs to take a break from studying they should do casual unorganized activities, which do not tie them down, with friends, read an easy relaxing book, or take a much needed nap. Activities like these are nonbinding and give the mind a chance to rest. Also, students are less likely to place these activities above their schoolwork than when they are in charge of an organization or have an important game coming up. Grades will not improve with an overworked schedule but with a relaxed schedule with calming activities.