13 August 2014
Many people entering university are under the misconception that you either work hard and have no social life, or have a good social life and consequently compromise your work; but this isn’t necessarily true. University is fundamentally about getting a degree, but it’s also about the experiences you have along the way, hence why it is frequently described as ‘the best years of your life’.

Having a social life can actually act as an incentive to work harder, for example, because you know that you have to knuckle down before football practice, or that you have a night out to look forward to, so you need to get your work finished. Of course, there is a balance to be struck and it is to be expected that your social life may give way to work around exam time.

Still, university is great time for meeting people and having an active social calendar. Going out does not mean that you will fail your degree. As a law student, you need to work hard, but playing sport, participating in the Lancaster University Student Law Society and other student groups, as well as just making sure to take a break from work will increase your productivity.

Time management is a valuable skill, and employers will appreciate the extra-curricular activities you have on your CV. My advice is to strike the right balance. There will be times when work will compromise your social life, and these will get more frequent as you approach your final exams.

University is about graduating with a good degree, but it is also a significant turning point in becoming independent and enjoying the time spent there, and so must be embraced. Don’t be afraid to tell someone you can’t make it out because you have deadlines (all Law students will understand!), but at the same time, don’t be afraid to enjoy the social aspect of university, and give yourself things which motivate you to get through the workload.

You can find out a bit more about things you can do beyond your degree at Lancaster: