Coming Back to School

By: Tommy Dang – Environmental Health

Coming back to school can be daunting whether you just graduated and you’re hopping back onto the education train or it has been some time (even a few years) since you have remember opening up a book for lecture. Either way you have made it this far and pursuing your MPH at Rollins is just another step to achieving your goals. Here are some brief ways you can adjust being back in the classroom and your new lifestyle… 

1.     Time 

• I thought coming from college that the time I spent in the classroom would be same. Graduate school requires a lot of reading, research and writing. With fewer courses each semester we use our time to research, work and of course take care of ourselves. Being at Rollins has taught me how to budget my time and schedule my life more efficiently. A planner and calendar will become your new best friend. Bottom line is that grad school can take up a lot of your time and will test your limits on time in places you least expect.  

2.     Employment  

• Being a full time student can feel like your full-time job, for some working helps us pay the bills and rent. Having a job and working is not impossible but isn’t easy either. Be flexible and make sure to balance both your studies while making the money you need to thrive. Being employed can help you gain those professional experiences and work on competencies you’re learning in class. Make sure to give yourself that me time, you’re human! 

3.     Personal Life 

• There’s more to life than work and school (especially after being in quarantine for so long. While there is personal growth there is also personal cost. Can you get that dog, probably or probably not. We are all on different parts of adulthood so you’ll have to adjust. You will also make some lifelong friends who are in the same department or interest so find that community and support. It can be easy to let grad school over your life just be mindful. 

4.     Budgeting  

• What ever level you are at with personal budgeting, it will change while at school. You will become more budget conscience as you have to pay for bills, utilities, tuition. Ask yourself do you need that annual trip to Cabo or get that venti drink from Starbs? I have found joy in making my own coffee in the morning and using my airfryer to cook healthy meals instead of eating out every day.