ASKING FOR A FRIEND: Hawks look for tips to juggle school-life-work balance

The Signal is proud to introduce its first edition of Asking For A Friend (AFAF)! In this first edition, Anna Marie Barrientos and Troylon Griffin II answer questions about finding motivation, being organized and so much more.

Here is a bit of background info on your advice givers:

Anna was raised in a small town in southwest Kansas as a Pentecostal Christian but now considers herself to be more of a hopeful agnostic. As a communication major, she is passionate about how people interact and exchange ideas. Through AFAF she hopes to bring her perspective as a woman, student, empath and environmentalist.

Troylon has grown up in Houston and League City. He is passionate about philosophy and enjoys discussing and thinking about various ideas and concepts. He enjoys using ideas and lessons he has learned and applying them to his work and personal life. Through AFAF, he hopes to provide wisdom and a perspective that has helped him in his years leading up to becoming Editor-in-Chief of The Signal. 

Is counseling free or is it offered at a discount?

A: Dear Anonymous, Counseling Services at UHCL are free to all enrolled students. If you are interested in individual, group or couples therapy, contact the counseling services department at 281-283-2580. If you have any less serious problems or questions about your life, you can always submit more questions to AFAF. We are happy to give advice, even if it’s not about school!

T: Yes, Counseling Services is free.

What’s your advice for finding motivation for someone who struggles with finding it constantly?

A: Dear Seeking Motivation, you bring up a question that I think many students struggle with and this semester has been especially hard for me. I find myself getting distracted during studying and hard-pressed to go to the gym. The thing that has helped me the most is focusing on the bigger picture. I have goals written down for the semester, for the next year, 3 years, and 5 years. Every time I have a hard time getting started on a task, I ask myself how it is going to get me where I want to be. I also ask myself, “How will doing this now help future Anna?”

T: A big part of finding motivation lies in knowing one’s purpose. When you discover your purpose and know what really matters to you, it makes having motivation much easier. If you do not have a sense of purpose or knowledge of the things that matter the most to you, the tasks you must complete will feel like a bunch of meaningless things to do. I think the best thing you can do is think about what matters most to you and discover what you feel gives you a sense of purpose. Once you do that, it will help you not only be motivated to put in the work towards your goals but also be motivated to do tasks you may not want to but have to because they will push you closer to what you really want. A sense of purpose helps you in seeing the big picture and when you see the big picture, you can find motivation to get through even the most difficult or smallest of things. 

I’m a new international graduate student and I’m not really understanding about how to plan my future after my graduation. And how to apply for Hawk’s scholarship as well as for the TA/RA positions in the University? Thank you.

A: Dear Planning Ahead, another zinger of a question! The best advice that I can give is to connect with Career Services (SSCB 3109) as soon as you can for help with your path after you leave UHCL. They offer resume reviews, interview prep, networking opportunities and more.

T: I would recommend consulting Career Services while also thinking good about what you want to do after graduation in terms of career and a good life. Always think about the jobs you would like to have once you have your degree. Keep an eye out on the market for such jobs and definitely create a LinkedIn account if you have not already. This will be vital for your future and your ability to network. Additionally, see here on how to apply for the Hawk Scholarship. 

Please keep me anonymous… are there/is there any advice anyone could give about the organization and keeping up with orgs, friends, school that worked for anyone?

A: Dear Searching for Balance, My advice for work/school/life balance is to create a schedule for what an average week would look like. Schedule out your day starting from when you typically wake up. Be realistic with your schedule and make sure to allot time for fun activities like hanging out with friends or playing video games. Whenever you are asked to take on more work or join another club, look at your calendar and see what you will have to sacrifice if you accept. Whether you decide to use a digital calendar or a physical agenda, log your assignment due dates and other important dates and make sure that you keep your calendar up to date so you can help alleviate the “Am I forgetting something?” anxiety.

T: It all comes down to managing one’s time. I highly encourage you to have some means of scheduling all you have to do and want to do during the week. That includes making times for friends a priority as well. Also make sure you are giving the proper amount of time to each part of your life, whether it be school, work, activities, etc. Dedicate certain days to certain tasks. Dedicate certain times of the day to certain activities. Also keep in mind that it is okay if some weeks might be busier than others to where you spend more time with friends than work or vice versa. Such things are bound to happen.