College can create a whole new realm of opportunities for you. Something is always going on, whether on-campus, around town, or with your friends. Something like this might happen to you: the biology club meeting starts at seven, but oh no, my study group wanted to get ice cream and then study around six. The hardest lesson you will learn in college is setting boundaries for yourself. This includes creating a schedule that works for you and allows you to succeed in college. Although we all wish to be in two places at once or simply do it all, we are not superhuman. Setting boundaries can be extremely difficult, especially if you are a people pleaser. This article will show you some scenarios and how you can navigate these scenarios to make you a better student and friend.

One of the most popular scenarios for what could happen to you in college is if two things are happening at once, as described in the introduction of this article. Your friends could be throwing a surprise birthday party, but it happens to be at the same time as your economics class. What do you do? Well, you should always do the thing that is going to benefit you first. You should probably go to class; your friends will understand. Maybe you can swing by the party after your lecture! You have to remember first and foremost that you are in college to get an education. However, I am not saying there are no exceptions to this rule. Say you have a doctor's appointment where they will read you the results of your recent blood test. That is important too. You have to be able to judge which one will impact you the most. That is the option you should choose.

Next, let's say that you have an important exam Monday. It is a Friday night, and your friends are leaving town to relieve some stress. You are in a difficult position. Sure, hanging out with your friends is most likely the option you want to choose, but you also need to examine how important this test is next Monday. Should you stay home and study? Will you have enough time on Saturday and Sunday to learn all the information on the exam? This is entirely up to you. It is very well possible that just studying Saturday and Sunday could work. Could studying on Friday change your grade on the exam? More than likely, staying in on Friday could help you in the long run, even if it is not the option your heart tells you to do.

Finally, let's walk through a scenario that might be more difficult to imagine. How exactly do you tell someone no, especially if that someone is a person you care about? You will likely find a way to make it up to them. Like in the last scenario, let's say you decided to skip going out with your friends and study for that upcoming exam on Monday. A classmate you like texts you and says they want to study with you. Though this is a good idea for some people, you might be a person who is much better at studying on their own. You might be lucky enough to focus while studying in groups, but many of us end up getting distracted, just like the person in this scenario. You do not have an excuse to give to this classmate. After all, you did give up an exciting weekend with your friends. In this case, you just simply have to tell someone no. It is hard, but staying at home and studying by yourself is much more beneficial to you (that is, if you are this type of student).

Saying no is always going to be a difficult task. You will have to deal with this for the rest of your life. However, by building boundaries in college, you are setting up a healthy lifestyle where your choices directly benefit you and your needs. Building boundaries is extremely important, especially in college, where life is particularly stressful. I am not saying you can never do anything fun again, quite the contrary. If you create healthy boundaries for yourself, you can enjoy fun things with little to no stress.