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Balance

What is your ideal student life?

Studerende der står i et køkken og laver mad
Do you know what your student life should look like? Not just the direction, but also how the balance between study and leisure should shape up? You might not have given it much thought, and that’s okay. The most important thing to know is that you are the one who determines the direction and conditions of your time at university.

Table of contents

  • Four psychological needs for a balanced student life
  • Take control of your time
  • Utilise your strengths and be honest with yourself
  • Avoid comparing yourself to others
What are your expectations for your studies?

What characterises a good student life? It can be difficult to provide a definitive answer, as it is, of course, entirely individual. Should the social or the academic aspect take precedence? Do you aim to read the entire syllabus from start to finish, or will you skip some parts to make time for social activities? It’s about making an active choice, even though you can’t control everything.

If you prefer working from home, it can be challenging if your studies require a lot of time in the laboratory. Sanne Mattebjerg, a former career advisor at IDA, highlights this.
Sanne Mattebjerg, a former career advisor at IDA
A balanced student life

Four psychological needs for a balanced student life

Sanne Mattebjerg points out four fundamental psychological needs that must be met to achieve a balanced student life:

  1. The studies must be meaningful.
  2. Student life should include autonomy, where you have control and ownership over what happens.
  3. The studies should ideally provide a sense of belonging with the people you interact with.
  4. Lastly, you need the competencies to fulfil the above needs.

If these four needs are met, there is a sense of calm, but if one or more are missing, it creates unrest, Sanne Mattebjerg emphasises.

Well-being

Take control of your time

According to a survey by Ballisager, it’s not about how many hours you spend on your studies or work, but how you actively take control of your situation. It turns out that both those who work under 25 hours and over 41 hours often thrive best – because they have made active choices that suit their lives.

The point is clear: when you make conscious choices about how you structure your life, it can improve your well-being. The same applies to study time. If you don’t thrive with constant group work, you can try to arrange to work more independently on some days. It’s about being aware of and taking responsibility for your needs.

It can feel difficult to stand by your own wishes and needs, but more and more people are daring to do so. We now have a more inclusive job market.
Sanne Mattebjerg, former career advisor at IDA

She emphasises that today we generally see more inclusivity and flexibility at universities, where there are greater opportunities to tailor your studies to better suit you.

SPS – This is how it works
It’s okay to take a break

Utilise your strengths and be honest with yourself

As a student, you already possess many skills, and it pays to use them to create a daily routine that works for you. There are no “right” or “wrong” choices when it comes to balancing study, work, and leisure – it’s perfectly fine to prioritise your career over leisure or vice versa.

— “It’s fine to spend 60 hours a week on work or study if you thrive on it – but if not, then don’t,” asserts Sanne Mattebjerg.

If you feel that your study path isn’t working, it’s also okay to take a break, change direction, or seek new opportunities. Saying no or changing course is not a failure. It’s part of the experiences you’ll gain along the way in your career. The more openly you can talk about the challenges, the easier it will be to create a daily routine that suits you.

Considering taking a break from your studies?

There are signs that today’s youth are much better at asking questions and challenging traditional frameworks, both in terms of student life and work life. According to Sanne Mattebjerg, this openness is a great advantage because it allows for shaping one’s future in a more authentic way. As a student, you (perhaps) also have an advantage when there are not yet many daily obligations, such as children and a full-time job, which require fixed structures.

Maybe you can sit in a park or a summer house when you need to write assignments. The study period is a time to explore things, so it’s about trying different working methods to find out what suits you best.
Sanne Mattebjerg, former career advisor at IDA
Why it is important to say no

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