College Freshmen Get Schooled in Work-Life Balance 101, Face Monumental Transitions
Colleges and universities welcome new students, provide tools to build work-life balance -- something that can't be learned from textbooks.
June 16, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Milwaukee, WI --
When freshmen descend upon college and university campuses late this summer, chances are good that their orientation programs will be filled with maps of the institution, contact information for department heads, extracurricular activities schedules and parameters for maintaining passing grades.
The most important lesson missing from the agenda, however, may be a practical outline about how to adjust to a lifestyle that for many, includes learning how to live away from home for the first time. The scenario has been repeated all too often: kids get to college and they either party themselves to an early exit from school, or they spend so much time studying that they fail to grow socially. This leads to stress and often, mental and physical illness.
In the workplace, coaches and consultants are often called upon to help employees better balance the many conflicting priorities that arise in their profession and their personal situations. The term for this is "work-life blending" or "work-life flexibility." Working at it for an extended period of time produces an individual who not only knows what it takes to live in support of his goals and values, but is better equipped to handle whatever curveballs life may toss in his direction. When it comes to adjusting to new surroundings and responsibilities, it pays for colleges and universities to meet these challenges in similar ways.
According to personal and professional coach, David Bohl ( www.slowdownfast.com ), college freshmen should be able to comfortably live according their own values and beliefs as they face two, four or more years of course study. If they are honest with themselves about their goals and objectives, gut-wrenching performance mindsets, binge drinking and uncomfortable peer expectations could become things of the past.
A father of two college students, Bohl offers tips to students, parents and faculty to ease the freshmen transition and strike stress from their lives:
1. Avoid information overload and "news fatigue". Schedule time and/or days of the week to check news or other content that you deem important. Set a time limit of one hour and do not exceed it.
2. Strike a balance between online networking and interpersonal interaction, realizing that both have important roles for college students.
3. Think big when you identify responsibilities as a student and social being. DO NOT rationalize what ails you.
4. Embrace responsibility, yet prize your achievements.
5. The sooner you identify who you are and where you want to go, the sooner you'll get there.
"Sometimes it takes experience to realize what's best for us, but college students already have enough pressure on their shoulders without thinking too far into the future," said Bohl, a 1982 graduate of the University of South Florida ( www.usf.edu ) who learned that the stressof academics and professional status climbing do not necessarily lead to a happier life in the long run.
"I think we're better parents -- better adults -- if when kids make the high school-to-college transition we don't hover, but give them the tools to live honestly, happily and at peace with themselves. Even the most competitive students can learn to sincerely enjoy college life, embrace what they learn socially and academically one day at a time and ultimately, carry that mindset throughout their lives."
David Bohl is a life coach who subscribes to the theory that when you make each decision an intuitive and intentional one, you become more efficient and effective... and you discover the shortest path to the results you want. Author of The Happiness Trilogy and a series of growth-inspired essays, he is available for interview upon request to Gail Sideman at (262) 240-7433.
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Contact:
David B. Bohl
Reflections Coaching LLC
Slow Down FAST
N77 W28559 Appaloosa Lane
Hartland, Wisconsin 53029
Email: david@slowdownfast.com
Web: http://www.SlowDownFAST.com
