by Patricia Thornton

Created on: June 17, 2009   Last Updated: June 18, 2009

John drives his car to campus, he's excited, it's his first day in college. He walks through the doors of the main building where different fraternities are waiving flags of various colors and Greek letters. Each fraternity invites him to a party. He spends the next month going from party to party having a great time, meeting a different girl every night he is out. By the end of the semester he is loving life, the happiest man in the world. Until he gets his grades back and he failed two of his classes and got a C in the other three classes. His GPA seems irreparable and his dreams of attending medical school is that much further out of reach because he didn't know how to balance the college life with an academic life. This is the story of so many college students who dream of being lawyers, accountants, dentists, and doctors.

I am not condemning the fraternity life or having a good time in college. It can be very rewarding in the areas of networking, partying, and meeting people of the opposite sex. However, if not approached properly, the excitement of your first semester can ruin your academic career. In college, every class counts. And if you are applying to graduate school (i.e. law school, medical school, business school [MBA}, and those who are pursuing a PHD) admissions boards will not accept partying as an excuse for a dropped class, failed class, or a low grade. Succeeding academically and having fun is possible. You must balance your studies with having fun, and the former must always be placed over the latter.

Here are some guidelines to succeeding and having fun.

First, during the week refrain from going out. This is tough because Thursday is normally college night or ladies night at the bars. Also, a lot of fraternities have parties during the week. Keep in mind that this guideline not a rule. If you have nothing to study for during the week, by all means go and have fun. But studies should always be your first priority.

Secondly, take at least half of your summer off to enjoy yourself. When I went to college I went full time every semester in order to graduate one year early. I graduated with honors and people were impressed that I finished so quickly. But, I was burnt out most of the time, extremely stressed, and did not have much of a social life. The truth is, when you are in your career and making money, no one is going to care if you graduated a semester or two early. That being said, no one will care if you took a semester or two longer than the average student. Taking at least one half of the summer off is worth not being constantly stressed out and having a social life.

Lastly, do what you have to do to ace your tests. If it means studying during the weekend, do it. If it means staying up all night and drinking coffee until it's running through your veins, do it. You will kick yourself in the butt if you were one test away from getting the G.P.A. you needed to get a scholarship or an acceptance to your dream graduate school. It is worth the hard work. Full disclosure, your friends will tell you that you have no life, that you have become a loser who only studies. However, when you are finished, they will tell you "man, you're lucky, I wish I had your grades." If they were studying while they were calling you a loser, they would have your grades. These friends are ignorant. But, don't take it personal, they simply do not see the big picture that you see.

Good luck in your first semester! Have fun but work hard, take it from a college graduate and a law school student, it is worth every long night, and every stressful moment.

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