Homecoming can be an exciting and busy time, especially for new students. Even if you’re not directly involved in the events, there are still a lot of things to participate in during Homecoming Week. It is recommended to participate in these events for entertainment and to learn about the University traditions, but homecoming, along with class and work, can be stressful. There are steps that can be taken to help mitigate this stress, or at least reduce it to be manageable.

While this is not commonly a piece of good advice, it might be a good idea to ignore long-term projects. If they can wait, then it makes sense to do them when you have more time available to sit down and focus. Whether this should be done or not must be determined by the individual, but it is definitely an idea to be taken into account. That being said, try to avoid falling behind. At this point in the year, it is approaching the drop deadline, so grades should be prioritized now if they weren’t before.

Regardless of how busy you are this week, try to remember to get proper rest. This is necessary for both productivity and fun, so it should be everyone’s priority this week, just like it should be every week. It is acceptable to cut off an hour or two as long as it isn’t completely forgotten about.

Health and responsibilities are just as important this week as they are any other week. If Homecoming events get in the way of this, then they should not be prioritized. You should not feel like you have to participate in every event. There are quite a few activities occurring, so skip some while still getting the Homecoming experience.

One doesn’t have to participate at all if they don’t want to, unless they have an obligation, such as playing in the game or band. This week is supposed to be a fun experience for students. It is the responsibility of the students to schedule accordingly. Personal accountability and time-management skills are important to making sure homecoming is a fun and productive week.

The best thing to do is to plan for the activities beforehand and organize your schedule by highest to lowest priority. This is important for many aspects of college life, not just this week. In college, there are only so many homecomings, so students should be sure to make each one full of good memories.

Nicholas is a freshman in DGS.

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