The Balance Act

Balancing Classes, A Graduate Assistantship, A Part-Time Job and Personal Life:

Before I started my second year of graduate school, I knew I wanted to get a part-time job along with my graduate assistantship. I was hired as a content marketing specialist for the Division of Online and Strategic Learning at Ball State in April 2024. The only way I could afford graduate courses is with an assistantship that covers my tuition and gives me a stipend. Once I signed a lease for a new, more expensive apartment, I knew the paychecks from my assistantship would barely be enough to cover my rent. 

Because I wouldn’t start the assistantship until school resumed in August, I needed to get a job over the summer. So, I got a second job. Not only to make plenty of money, but to keep myself busy and distracted. In July, I started working at a restaurant. Whenever I had a day off, I spent my time hanging out with my sorority sisters and friends I met through Greek life or I was at the gym.

Going into the 2024-2025 school year, I was concerned about how I was going to manage being in four graduate-level classes, an assistantship and a part-time job. It was also going to be my first time being in all online classes since I came to college. Although I didn't always like waking up early to go to classes, sometimes that small social interaction was what I needed. With a remote assistantship and online classes, I was worried that I would be too cooped up in the house. 

‘When am I going to have time to do my homework?’ ‘Will I have to pull all-nighters every night after my shift?’ ‘Guess I’m going to have to get back into drinking coffee or energy drinks.’ ‘Am I going to be able to stay consistent in the gym?’

Those were some of the thoughts that were running through my mind as the school year started. Luckily, I had managers at my part-time job who didn’t care if I was doing homework when I wasn’t busy with orders. And working to-go at this restaurant was very slow. During every shift, I had time to do homework and write testimonials for my assistantship. 

Prioritizing and time management were key skills that helped me survive the fall semester—my most challenging semester of graduate school. Although those classes were hard, they were also some of the most influential to me. 

When I first enrolled in graduate school, I was a communication studies major. After the first semester, I realized that was not for me and I switched to public relations. I contemplated whether I made the right decision, but after taking those first three classes in the spring of 2024, I knew that this was right up my alley. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism, I knew that public relations would allow me to use those same storytelling skills to be an even better communicator. 

Now, I have less than a month left of my graduate studies. I am still managing my time well with classes, a part-time job (a new and better paying one), an assistantship, and my personal life. Sometimes that looks like waking up at 4 a.m. to work out at the gym before I go to my 9 a.m. class on Mondays. Other times, it’s going to my part-time job, doing assignments for my classes and assistantship while at that job, then working out after my shift or being with my friends.

Finding the time to still do the things I like such as hanging out with my people and working out has been very beneficial to my mental health and my work-school-life balance. I highly recommend finding a balance between your school and job responsibilities while also prioritizing time to do the things that make you happy.

Author: Sumayyah Muhammad