<p>I think in my case, for the most, I would probably have a lot better grades since my addicting personality practically always leads to me to converse with my friends on an unremitting basis. Add the fact that I tend to get easily distracted...</p>
<p>I know it could actually be the opposite with other people. What's your case?</p>
<p>For me it’s a delicate balance. I really need to spend time with people in order to stay sane and productive, but sometimes I spend too much time with friends on the weekends and neglect my homework a little more than I should. It’s a constant struggle trying to figure out where I should draw the line.</p>
<p>Sure, I might have done a little better in math if I had spent less time hanging out in my boyfriend’s room. But then again, he’s about the only reason I passed chemistry, so I’m going to look on the bright side and say it all ended up ok.</p>
<p>Maybe, but I’d kill myself if my life was all about grades and I didn’t have a social life. What would be the point?</p>
<p>No. I would probably have better grades if I had a better social life. This past semester I generally ignored my friends in favor of homework and I only went outside like twice the whole semester besides classes, as that was what was necessary, and that was definitely not an ideal way to do things.</p>
<p>For me, the two most important things to balancing classes with social life were to 1) create a well organized study schedule and 2) find friends who do the same. I definitely found that some students adjusted to the newfound social freedoms of college better than others and a lot of it had to do with the fact that you’re in class so much less frequently in college; after class, there’s a lot of socializing time and it’s very easy to mean to study but never get around to it just because 1) assignments are generally fewer and further between and 2) it’s just more fun to socialize. What worked really well for me was scheduling study time as if it were another class; like, on my written class schedule, there are 2-hour block “study hall” periods designated for only studying; on weeks where workloads looked like they’d be heavier, I’d go back and revise it. My friends did the same thing and we all kept each other honest. This worked really well because we all got all of our work done in a timely manner, got the grades we wanted in those classes, and still had plenty of time having fun together.
I definitely don’t think socializing has to suffer for the sake of grades or vice-versa, but it’s a balance that can’t be achieved without some conscious effort.</p>
<p>it’s the other way around, you are more motivated when you have good friends.</p>
<p>Without friends, I am depressed. When I’m depressed, I get crappy grades. I NEED a social life in order to do well in school. All work and no play burns you out.</p>
<p>I probably would have better grades without a social life. But my thing is, academically I do fine with a social life. I have figured out that with a social life, my average grade is a 3.5 which is satisfactory to me. Without a social life, that 4.0 is a lot more attainable. But the opportunity cost of the additional studying/better grades would be misery without a social life. I did that in high school, so NOT worth it. My happiness & sanity are worth a lot more than the potential .5 of a grade.</p>
<p>You need a balance of both! Sometimes peer pressure can have good effects on your grades if you make the right friends. I’m always worried about my grades and trying to get good grades, but I also have friends who I couldn’t live without.</p>
<p>My brain wouldn’t have done much work splattered across the wall, which is where it would have ended up had I tried to study for 4 years straight.</p>
<p>So no.</p>
<p>Seriously though, the friends I made probably helped my grades more than hurt them. With no friends you are at a pretty serious risk to become depressed, which is going to hurt your GPA. In addition I studied with a lot of my friends which definitely helped. And finally your GPA isn’t really that important compared to how you deal with people. I’ve interviewed people for jobs before. If someone comes across as confident and capable of communication (skills that have to be learned through social interaction!) they have a shot, regardless of GPA. If they don’t then they have no shot, regardless of GPA.</p>
<p>I’d like to say well duh, but during finals I basically became a hermit and didn’t see anyone for a week and a half, and I was honestly actually less productive, because my brain wasn’t getting the productive decompression of conversation breaks. Instead, I turned to Facebook and Cracked, both of which can end up being hour-plus long breaks… no bueno.</p>
<p>Yeah not seeing people would probably work out for a week or two, but after that I would probably start going crazy. Going out on the weekends is a great way for me to decompress and chill; if I just stayed in and studied all the time I would probably get distracted by the slightest things.</p>