Balancing Life with Business School

Business school provides you with many opportunities to advance both your knowledge and experience in academic areas related to business and management. In addition to rigorous coursework and academic activities (especially during the core semester or year), you will be inundated with co-curricular and extra-curricular activities involving career services (interview preparation, resume review, company presentations, etc.), alumni relations (networking events), and various academic-related clubs and organizations (affinity associations, major and specialization clubs and activities, etc.). You will come to find that these out-of-class experiences are just as valuable as (or in some cases more valuable than) any in-class activity. An accompanying spouse and family add to the challenge of managing your time and commitments. Through all of this it is important to keep perspective and stay sane!

As you begin the transition to business school, we encourage you to spend some time thinking about how you will manage your time, projects, commitments, and expectations. Here a few tips:

  • Take an inventory of what is important in your academic/work and personal life
  • Identify your key stakeholders (classmmates, faculty members, spouse, children, etc.) and the commitments or expectations associated with them
  • Keep lines of communication open with stakeholders
  • Building a strong network of support from stakeholders and others who believe in your ability to accomplish your goals
  • Keep a consistent schedule, and use and update your calendar
  • Learn when to say NO
  • Make sure to build in “decompression” time

Helpful Links:

  1. Mind Tools
  2. Study Guides and Strategies
  3. Franklin Covey