Choate Balancing Act: How Do Students Manage Their Time?
By Rebecca Han ’10
News Staff Reporter
Having only a 4.0 GPA and perfect SAT scores may not be enough to satiate Choate students, some of whom strive to become well-rounded and versatile individuals in addition to getting good grades. Harvard College explains its admission policy on its website: “While the heart of the matter will always lie in academic promise, we prize candidates with special talents … we are interested in students who excel in one or more extracurricular activities.” The pressure to be a “model student” can force some students to excel at academic work and while engaging in multiple extracurricular commitments. In the midst of this hustle, students can find themselves struggling to balance everything they need to do. Athletics, music, and other arts can become demanding to the point where participants may be forced to exclude other pursuits for a single activity.
On its website, Choate lists some of its impressive academic programs: “academic teams and competitions in math, computer science, debate, and economics; and the most advanced placement course offerings of any of our peer schools.” In order to take full advantage of Choate’s offerings, taking six classes in the third or fourth forms, including one or two Advanced Placement courses, is not considered out of the ordinary for some. “I take six classes and have been doing so since Freshman Winter,” said Aditya Rajagopalan’09. Besides the academic opportunities offered, there are a variety of other sports and clubs that students may participate in.
A large number of students matriculate at Choate each year with expectations and goals that may not be entirely realistic: there may not be enough time in the day to do everything. Recovering from the initial conflicts in schedule, some students “hit the ground running,” rapidly adapting and adjusting to their many obligations and swiftly learning how to balance their time. The first term can be a stressful time for some: “Choate is a lot harder than I thought it would be,” said Deanna Cho ’11.
By the second or third year, some students have learned to complete their homework in advance during the weekends, leaving them less frantic during week days. Other students learn to prioritize. “If I did every homework assignment I’m assigned to the best of my ability, I would be up way too late – instead I figure out what is most important,” said Asa Maynard ’10.
Minute Planning
Some students manage time strictly in order to keep work and extracurricular commitments balanced. Adi Rajagopalan plans his time down to “the order in which I do homework, the time I sleep and get up in the morning to continue my work, the classes I get ahead on, the classes I can afford to fall behind on, the assignments that I need to do in advance, and the meetings that I have to go to or skip.”
Seniors have become accustomed to the demands of Choate life, and have gained expertise at working quickly and utilizing free time to do as much as possible. “The most important thing I’ve learned to do is to focus and finish my work; and then I can relax,” said Janet Li ’08. Other seniors have learned similar lessons through years of experience at Choate. “Don’t procrastinate! I waste too much time procrastinating but I still end up having to do the work—just do it! It gets easier once you start,” Li added.
To maintain a happy medium, many students emphasize the things they enjoy doing and try to avoid the temptation to pack in meaningless commitments “for college.” “I have always figured that if I like what I do, and do what I like, then I’ll want to indulge myself in that activity, and that grades, college, and whatnot will fall into place…I always just do what I enjoy best—it’s as simple as that,” Rajagopalan explained.
No matter what activities a student does, the invaluable lessons students can learn from time management may prove priceless in college. The Advising Resource Center at the University of Arizona notes on its webpage that in a college setting, “You manage your own time and you must balance your responsibilities and set priorities.”
Finding Time for Themselves
Students who balance their workload and commitments still try to find personal time every day. Although Aakash Bhattacharya ’10 takes six classes, including two Advanced Placement courses, plays an interscholastic sport, and is a member of the JV and Varsity Math Team, but still has “around [thirty minutes] of time to play with my little brother, watch TV, and AIM … it ends up letting me focus better later.” Other students also see personal time as time to unwind with friends around the dinner table. “My free time is spent with friends … and I’d have it no other way,” Rajagopalan said. Still others spend their free time busily working, if work is what they best love to do. Amy Gobel ’08, a ballet dancer and violinist, explained “If I have free time, I fit in another ballet class or practice violin … I love what I do and I’m passionate about it.”
