How can I balance studying and socialising at uni?

University presents so many opportunities for fun. When you’re not going out all night and sleeping all day (waking up to watch Jeremy Kyle, of course), you’re meeting up with friends. Then there are loads of clubs and societies to join too.
 
The social side of uni could be a full time job in itself. But, there is also the small matter of getting a degree to squeeze in too.

So it’s probably important to try to keep a balance between studying and socialising. 

Work and booze

For many at university, socialising means drinking. Drinking in moderation can be a great social lubricant, particularly in those uncomfortable first weeks.

But if you’re going out regularly and drinking heavily, let’s face it: your uni work is probably going to suffer sooner or later. Getting up in time for a 9am lecture is hard enough without a mammoth hangover. You might well be tempted to skip classes and curl up in bed instead of venturing to the lecture hall.

In a recent Drinkaware survey over a third (34%) of the 18-24 year-olds interviewed said they drank nine or more alcohol units on an average night out, more than any other age group.  

‘During my first term at university in London, I was out about four times a week,’ says Laura MacDonald, 22. ‘Some nights I would drink more than others. It did affect my uni work – I missed some classes and didn’t do as well as I would have liked. In my second term I cut my drinking back a bit, and it made a real difference to my results.’

Sticking to the recommended alcohol guidelines of no more than 3-4 units a day for men and 2-3 for women will help your mind stay fresh for studying. One unit is equivalent to a single (25ml) shot of vodka, rum or gin; there are 1.5 units in a small (125ml) glass of wine, and more than two in a standard pint of beer.

Have a look at our unit calculator to see how many units are in your favourite drinks.

Brain drain

Even if you do make it to lectures or manage a few hours of study the morning after the night before, you may well be unable to concentrate. Being hungover, you could feel a bit sick, tired and dehydrated not to mention have a cracking headache. Not exactly top study form.

There are underlying reasons why you can’t take information in after drinking.

‘There’s a good amount of evidence that suggests the brain is damaged by alcohol,’ says Dr Thomas Heffernan, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Northumbria University. ‘Alcohol has a damaging effect on the frontal lobes, which you use for organisation and short-term memory. Alcohol also affects the hippocampus, which is involved in storing long-term memories.’

Peer pressure

It can be difficult to say no when everyone around you is drinking. You might even have been the one bugging others to have a drink in the past.

But just think of the benefits come exam time, when you’ve got first-class grades and the big drinkers have barely scraped a pass

Take control

In the UK, the trend is for students to hit the booze hardest in their first year, then calm down in later years. However, first-years who drink to excess are 10 times more likely than their peers to remain heavy drinkers throughout uni.

So if you’re a fresher, this is the ideal time to get into good habits. But even if you’re a bit further on in your university career, it’s never too late...

If exams or essays are looming and you’re finding the call of the union bar hard to resist, these tips will help you stay focused:

• Draw up a study timetable, but make sure you leave plenty of breaks to relax and hang out with friends. Include nights out in your timetable so you’ve got something to look forward to, but perhaps limit them to one or two a week.
• If you do go out, make sure you eat something beforehand and drink plenty of water/soft drinks during the night to stop you getting drunk so quickly. Perhaps you could have a soft drink after each alcoholic one?
• Choose a study buddy who has similar goals to you, and if there’s a big night out planned, go together. Then you’ll be less likely to forget about your study plan and you won’t be the only one leaving before last orders.
• Make the most of the clubs and societies at your university. Having hobbies and friendships that don’t revolve around alcohol will mean you drink less.
•  Write down your five-year plan for after college or university. Think about where you want your degree to take you and the career options you’d like to explore. This will help you to keep the social side of university in perspective and focus on academic success.

Page last updated by

Root User, 19 Apr 2010.

Page checked on

02 Oct 2009