My job was one of my biggest stressors during my senior year of high school. Sure, it was just a pizzeria, but add three AP classes and the school newspaper onto that and it equals complete exhaustion. Unlike most of my peers, I had to buy my own lemon of a car, insurance and gas. Every week, I carefully calculated my hours to ensure I would earn enough money in my biweekly checks to pay for all my expenses.

Needless to say, I wasn’t left with much time for myself after school and work. I missed a lot of my senior year because I was too tired to do anything that wasn’t required of me. The dances, games, pep rallies and class parties were just extra time commitments instead of fun.

I can’t tell you how many times I broke down in tears because of the amount of pressure I felt to keep everything balanced.

Now that I’m in college, it’s even more evident that students shouldn’t get a job until they’re sure they can handle their other responsibilities.

The classes a student takes in college are more crucial for future careers than courses in high school. And no one really knows how much work a course will require outside of the classroom until at least a month into the semester. Although it might seem like there’s time for endless commitments in the beginning, once the newness wears off and the exams start, you’re not going to be left with a spare moment to breathe.

The guy who lives across the hall from me is an example of this. I’ve gotten to know everyone on my floor besides him — he’s always working at the most absurd times. Classes and two different clubs are also part of his daily grind. Whenever I manage to catch a glimpse of him, he’s wandering the floor like a zombie or running down the hallway with his roller skates in hand, probably late for a meeting.

Spreading yourself thin isn’t a wise choice if you haven’t established yourself and a daily schedule. If your routine is constantly changing and evolving, it’s hard to be organized and stay up to speed with the things that really matter, like doing well in your classes.

School is more important than being president of a club or a social butterfly. If extracurricular activities aren’t benefiting you, there’s no point in devoting time to them. You should be able to look back at your time in college and feel that you spent it advancing your career, not losing sleep over miscellaneous nonsense.

Rachel Brauer is an intern at The State News. Reach her at rbrauer@statenews.com.