Juggling nursing school and... everything else

[fbrlauren, BSN]

I will be transferring to a university this fall and am just as excited as I am worried. Since I'm 20 and moving away from home for the first time, I look forward to all that the university experience has to offer (ie. getting involved on campus, meeting new friends).

However, I know nursing school will be very demanding and will require hours of studying. My questions is: how do you juggle nursing school with your social life, campus involvement, or a job? Is it even possible??

So much props to any of you with family obligations and full-time jobs!!

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

I worked full time and went to nursing school. You have to eliminate or reduce the "other things" in your life that are a distractor. Be very strict about your study time and do not allow interference. Turn off cell phone. Get out of dorm. Be 100% focused on whatever you do, but acknowledge you cannot do it all. Many people have grades suffer because their social life takes precedence. You can still be social after graduation - and have a nice career too!

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

You can still have a social life. Just keep yourself organized. School is still your top priority, but it doesn't have to mean you can't do fun things once in a while.

[NursingGirl0726]

I live on a university campus and participate in a sorority. I'm married and I am in nursing school. Its hard but its very doable. You have to be willing to say no sometimes and to prioritize what needs to be done. Sometimes that means little sleep or skipping out on social events but its all worth it. You can definitely balance it out. It might take awhile to get into a grove though.

[ambitiousBSN]

I'm in school full time and work part time on the weekends. I am also married, so making time for your spouse can sometimes be difficult when you have 2-3 exams to study for, clinical reports to finish, group projects, online assessments, etc. I, too, am involved in a sorority, and was recently elected as next year's (2014-2015) secretary of my sorority. Luckily my family and husband understand the demands and priorities of being a nursing student. I think it all comes down to time management and how well you can plan out your weeks. I know for me, at the beginning of the semester, I go through my planner and write out everything in regard to due dates and as the semester goes along, I try to schedule everything around school work and clinical days. Sometimes that's hard, but in the end, it's all worth the struggle.

Best of luck to you! :-)

[rubato, ASN, RN]

Married mom who worked part time here. I also managed to work out at least 4 days a week and hang out with friends a little bit. Was class rep, took extra classes. You can do pretty much anything you set your mind to with a lot of hard work.