By Our Reporter,The Nation

Copyright thenationonlineng

By Uwaifo Favour Ndidi

For students at Anchor University, Ayobo, Lagos (AUL), life is more than just lectures and late -night assignments, it’s also packed with sports, clubs, fellowships, and countless campus events.

But for many students, keeping up with academics and extracurricular activities can feel like walking a tightrope.

For many undergraduates, academics and extracurriculars feel like two full – time jobs. Finding an equilibrium between these two worlds requires planning, discipline, and sometimes sacrifice.

“Sometimes I’m racing from a lab practical straight to basketball field,” said Mary Agwu, a 300-Level Medical Laboratory Science ( MLS) student. “ I literally eat lunch on the way, that’s how packed my schedule is.”

Different activities on campus aren’t just for fun, they are part of the university’s drive to produce well – rounded graduates.

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From the school’s media crew to the entrepreneurship hub, students said these groups help gain real-word skills, though the workload can be brutal.

However, students who learn to balance both academics and extracurricular life often graduate with stronger interpretational skills, broader networks, and greater self- confidence.

For Allison Emmanuel, a 300-Level English student, active in the Debate Club, it is not easy, but these activities make him more confident and help develop his skills beyond academics.

“But I learned quickly that if you don’t manage your time, you’ll either fail your exams or miss out on what makes campus life fun,” he said.

“To cope, we have developed strategies creating detailed schedules, and prioritising tasks,” said Odebo Oluwatobiloba, a 300-Level Mass Communication student.

Moving forward, he said, the secret to survival is planning.

“Students set up late night reading sessions, and campus leaders often postpone meetings to avoid exam clashes. The secret is not doing it alone,” he added.

“Still the struggle is real, the key is creating schedules, and sometimes sacrificing sleep or social outings, if you don’t plan your time, your time will plan for you,” he said.

For Oladosu Victor, a school volleyball player, he keeps his academic life in balance by making sure he creates a schedule which he follows strictly.

In addition, he set out his priorities straight and this has helped him a lot.

“Though it sounds easy, when put into action it requires a lot, just trust me when I say it pays off at the end,” he said.

Just like Oluwatobiloba, another student Chime Peace said: “Balancing both sides is stressful sometimes, but at the end of the day, it prepares us for life after school – where you will always have to juggle multiple responsibilities.”

According to her, if a student spends at least an hour everyday for like three months in learning any extracurricular activities, there is no way that particular student will not become an expert in that activity.

She noted that it is all about focus, dedication and determination, and not getting easily distracted.

She said: “God has been helping me to balance both academics and extracurricular activities.

“ In everything you do add God because we are nothing without him.”

Mr Ayodeji Olaniyi , a lecturer in the Faculty of Social and Management Science, believes that balancing academics with extracurricular activities is not only important but also highly beneficial for students’ holistic development.