Holidays

I want to go home for the holidays but I'm afraid that if I do I won't have any time to study and I have a lot to study for this semester.. But everytime I go home everyone wants to spend time with me and they get offended if I tell them I can't hang out 'cause I have work to do...

Hi Johnny,

It is definitely tough to balance school obligations and family obligations. I think it is important to spend the holidays with your family if this is usually a special time of year for you and your family. However, some time management will be necessary. Explain to your family that while you miss them and want to spend time with them, you will have to carve out some time for studying. School is your focus right now and you should make it clear to them that your schoolwork will have to take priority sometimes. I'm sure they have your best interests at heart, so you just need to explain this to them. Here are a few ideas to help you fit in some study time while you are home for the holidays:

1. Get up early! Set an alarm and spend a few hours by yourself in your bedroom or another quiet space studying.
2. Go to bed early. When things start to wind down in the evenings, excuse yourself a bit earlier than usual and head to bed to fit in some study time.
2. Study during TV time. If your family likes to watch a holiday parade in the mornings or sports in the afternoon, excuse yourself and spend a few hours studying while they are enjoying some TV time.
3. Run some "errands." Sometimes it is hard to study when there are so many people around and lots of loud noises. Head out to a coffee shop, book store or local library for some interrupted study time.

It's great that you understand the importance of your schoolwork. You just need to communicate this to your family and make an effort to fit in some study time. It can definitely be done, and doing this now will set a precedent for the next time you go home (and the next time, and the next time...).

Good luck!
Amber George

Hi Johnny,

In addition to the wonderful suggestions that Amber has provided, I would like to suggest that you have a conversation with your family members ahead of time. Planning the activities that are most important to your visit home will allow you to know when you can actually schedule that private time to study. Explain to your family that your choice to return home during the holidays demonstrates your devotion and commitment to the family. If time can be carved out without criticism then your time, decision and priorities have been respected. If this cannot be done, then the reality may be that you cannot always go home for every holiday. If it does come to this, remember that it is a reflection of your decision to prioritize your education and not an indication of how much you love them. Help them to see that of course they are important, but that your education at times is more urgent. Open communication is key. I hope this helps.

My family is big and noisy and messy and they don't really get it that I have to study over the holidays. I'm very stressed out and really i don't even know if its worth going back home or better stay in school. But then I feel bad bcause I don't get to seethem that often.Not sure what to do.

Hello Patricia,
I know exactly how you feel, being at home and seeing your loved ones is great but when it comes to studying during the break it can be challenging I myself am in a similar situation (My family can be a bit chaotic) but education should be your main priority and your family should understand that. Now that the holidays are coming up it can be challenging studying at home especially being a Latino with all those fiestas & what not. Regardless of that, I feel that going back home can be beneficial especially since you don’t get to see your family as often. To help you facilitate your time home here are some suggestion that have help me & I hope they can help you and others that are in the same situation:

* Communication is Key: Talk to your parents and siblings if any. Explain to them that you made an effort to come visit them because you care and at the same time explain to them that although you wish to spend the entire break with them you have work that needs to be done.
* Create a Schedule: This should not take you that long and would be a great way to balance your time between your social life & school work. Perhaps you may decide that you can dedicate a few hours a week for school & weekends to socialize with your friends and family.
*Compromise: It most likely that there will be time conflicts when planning your schedule but you should know that it is okay to make a few adjustments after all you are on your break and should relax not stress!!! Also if you know that studying at your house is impossible (like I do) try visiting you local public library or coffee shop (as suggested by Amber) or even try making a study party with your former high school friends you get to study & at the same time catch up with some old friends).

All in all, if you find that these suggestions will not wok for you, I recommend you visit your family just when needed (like Marsha said) I will have a little over one month off but am still debating over how long I’ll actually stay, which is most likely three weeks (I’ll be leaving a week late & returning a week earlier)…maybe this works for you.

Hola Patricia,

Margarita made some great suggestions! I have to agree that you may want to go home to spend the holidays with your family since this is a special time. Plus you should take a little break and enjoy the holidays!

In addition to the suggestions that Margarita made, I would also like to suggest that you can always use other facilities to get your quiet time to study. Some places that you can go to study would be your local library, a coffee shop or a bookstore. As long as you communicate to your family the importance of your studies and your plans on taking time for yourself, then you should be able to focus on what you need to do.

Good luck!

-Jazmin

Guys, thanks for all these great advice! I applied some of it during the summer and it helped me keep the stress level down.

Cynthia,

Glad that we could help!

-Jazmin