A college degree is a noble goal to pursue, and the road to success is long and full of struggles that will grow you as person. During this journey, you can usually only possess two of the three things in the sacred triangle of the college student.

Traditionally, a good night’s sleep, good grades and a social life are at each point of the pyramid and you will only be able to achieve two of the three without overwhelming yourself.

I am here to tell you that there is a way to balance good grades, a social life and an adequate amount of sleep, to an extent. Just like any ambitious goal, it requires quality ingredients along with determination and dedication. The right ingredients in any situation are always a good idea, but in this situation they are vital.

The first ingredient is healthy friendships and relationships. Having the right people who build you up in your life during a stressful time is one of the most valuable things in this world. Having good friends in college, the type that really understand you and the struggles you face, will make it possible to have an active social life. You may not be able to have a long weekend trip with your friends every week, but the right friends will be understanding and supportive when homework is getting you down. Good friends are the ones that truly care about you and will help lessen the load you carry, not add to it. A friend who would try to help you finish your schoolwork so you can participate instead of encourage you to ignore your responsibilities, is the kind of friend you need.

Secondly, you will need dedication: dedication to your college career and putting in the work on assignments and tests. You will also need a dedication to your time-management plan. Effective time management takes a lot of willpower and dedication. It is way too easy to get into a two hour long YouTube cat video spiral and not even notice until it’s over. Keep a close eye on your time and use every second you can to get done what you need to instead of dragging one task out for an hour, when it could have been done in half the time.

Thirdly, you will need the very important ingredient of determination to reach your goals. If you put your goals in the center of your line of sight, you will hit the mark more often. Believing in what you are chasing is what strengthens your determination so that you will be able to do whatever you put your mind to.

With these three ingredients, you will be able to have a good college experience overall. You don’t have to follow the rules of the sacred triangle of the college student.

When it comes to the end of the day, or the end of a long week, make sure you have taken care of yourself. No matter what your academic and personal goals include, be sure that your mental and physical health are at the top of your list of things to do each and every day.