The freedom of being on your own for likely the first time is a gift and a curse. There are no more parents to bother about staying out late, but they also can't guide you anymore. Saying that first goodbye after moving in is when the first bits of freedom take control.

It takes a few weeks for something to become a routine, especially at the beginning of the school year. Week one flies by with fun going out most nights, staying up late, exploring the new campus environment with friends you've just made, finding that freshman clique and forgetting to call your parents every few days. Classes are still just a syllabus and a date on a calendar. 

When week three rolls around, professors have set the rules for their classes, and lessons start that you'll need to remember for final exams in 12 weeks. For me, things looked up at this point when the student job I applied for hired me, so I could start making money on campus.

Trying to keep up with school, my job, going out, attending sporting events and whatever thing came up on some random night, like walking around campus or talking to people on Grand River at 2 a.m., started to become routine, and not a good one.

As you all may know, burnout becomes evident the longer something goes on. All of my classes were getting repetitive, my job started dragging and I was showing up to class without absorbing a word of it – re-reading the same page of notes without any of it sticking. I would choose one thing to focus on and completely forget about the other.

When I was out with my friends, I wasn’t thinking about my job, my classes, or anything waiting for me the next morning. I was just present in the moment, and everything else was on pause.

Then there was socializing. Drinking alcohol is part of many students' experiences. I wasn't going crazy every single night, but the occasional hang out with friends would sometimes lead to, "Want to go to the bar?"

Eventually, it turned into going out on Tuesdays, waiting in lines during half-off Thursdays and then frat and house parties on the weekends. 

Not only did this take a toll on my bank account, but it also took a toll on my grades. When I was out on Tuesdays, I would skip my 8 a.m. Wednesday class. My 9:10 a.m. Friday recitations were essentially non-existent in my calendar.

The next four years couldn't go on like this. Some of you may feel the same, wishing balance would be added to the calendar sooner. 

I was always a good student who kept up with my work. I realized no one was going to fix this for me; I needed to hold myself accountable.

I made the promise to myself and set a plan because I knew the answer wasn’t choosing one over the other. Instead, I had to find my balance. 

MSU provides many tips to students, knowing that many students will inevitably drink. Following these tips was crucial — things like never leaving a party alone or being sure to walk in well-lit areas at night. All of it adds to creating the safest environment possible in this new home away from home.

For my academic promise, I would look at my Wednesday class and see if the topic we were learning was something I thought I could learn on my own. If it was, then I marked it down; I could go out that Tuesday night if I wanted, but I would have to spend time making up for the lecture I missed, something I hadn't done before.

Thursdays would soon follow. I would consider whether I understood the material I learned and, if I felt confident enough, I would feel OK skipping the recitation on Friday if I wanted to go out Thursday night. Now, I don't have any regrets when planning my week.

There’s still a version of me on Grand River Avenue on a Tuesday night. But some weeks, there's another version who's already asleep by midnight. Now I get to choose which one shows up.