Juggling Extracurriculars

JBU offers a variety of extracurriculars, such as the Honors Program, Student Government, Student Events and Activities, The Threefold Advocate Newspaper and more. However, many students on campus find themselves so involved that they worry about juggling classes, work, and all of their activities.

We asked some current JBU students how they manage it all. Here’s what they said:

“It’s okay to try things out and then walk away. College has a lot of opportunities for you to find out what you like and figure out your place. You have the freedom to try so many different things out. Once you figure out what you enjoy, you also have the freedom to say no to certain things. Put yourself out there and have a great time. Just make sure you don’t overload yourself!” – Jace Richardson, Sophomore

“The amount you can do each semester will change. One semester you can do everything and the next you can’t do much – and that’s okay!” – Kat Shaneck, Senior

“It’s okay to say no. You don’t have to do everything. It’s better to put a lot of effort into one activity than a little effort into a bunch of activities.” – Catherine Nolte, Alumni ‘21

“What has helped me has been forming and sticking to a schedule and making sure to take breaks even if it’s just five minutes. Little moments of peace and self-care have been helping me in managing it all. I would also suggest getting proper sleep and eating healthy. They all seem like really basic things, but they definitely help!” – Zoe Ross, Sophomore

The consensus with JBU students is that it’s important to not overload yourself, and the main purpose of extracurriculars is to figure out what you like and to have fun.