Halfway Through..Now What?

Hello U of T! I'm Liana and I'm writing for the Community Crew this year as the CTSI (Centre for Teaching Support and Innovation) Blogger. I'm a born and raised Torontonian, a first generation student, and in my third year double majoring in English and Book & Media Studies. You'll come to learn throughout the year that I really love writing and reading..if that weren't obvious from my choice of majors.

Anywho, I mentioned that I'm in third year right (*internal gasp*), which means that I'm officially half way through my degree. I swear I don't know how this happened so quickly. It seems like yesterday I was sitting in my Grade 12 Writer's Craft class, dreaming about the big, wonderful world of U of T.  Each year I've been at U of T, I noticed that I follow a common theme throughout the year. Here's a quick summary for all of you: First Year: The Year of Academics Okay, so that's not so surprising right? I mean, U of T is a glorious centre for learning, meaning that I was incredibly focused on academics! I went to academic workshops, writing centres, met with profs constantly, and STUDIED. My head was always buried in a book. Don't get me wrong, academics are extremely important but so is having a social life or just getting some ZZZs...

Second Year: The Year of Co-Curriculars For second year, I flipped to the opposite end of the spectrum. On Clubs Day, instead of just scavenging for the free stuff (I love you, Clubs Day!) I signed up for a bunch of clubs I was interested in. Now, you may have already guessed how that went for me. Joining a bunch of clubs allowed me to meet new, awesome people, de-stress from academics, and do something that I really loved. Buuuuuuut (yes, there's a but), I was CRAZY busy. So busy that trying to keep up with all my clubs felt like I had added another 2 courses to my already full course load!

Third Year: The Year of Balance (Hopefully!) Being only one week into the new year, I'm optimistic. Academics and co-curriculars go hand in hand for creating a happy, healthy, and balanced me. I'm taking a full course load this year, so I've decided to only invest my time into one or two clubs. Also, I'm the type of person that likes to be on the go, go, go. However, that hasn't always worked for me in the past. This year, I'll be scheduling some much needed down time (in one of my many planners) throughout the week. Fingers crossed that I actually achieve that this year! I may encounter some bumps in the road no matter how much I plan, but I'll figure it out. So...I'm halfway through. Now what? Balance. I hope for balance.