Most college students have to create a balance between academic studies and fun time to ensure success. Unfortunately, most college students don’t incorporate enough time to study for academics in their schedule. They tend to procrastinate on the school work to attend the hottest events on campus. Student will wait to the last possible time to get the assignment done, and this leaves little time to spend the appropriate amount of focus on an assignment. Not being able to balance between academic work and non-academic activities would cause a student to choose between the two. Which would often led to a student being unsuccessful in college do to either the lack of study or social interactions.
When students don’t have an outlet that caters to the needs of academic goals and social life activities they began to choose between the two. The one student often chooses tend to be the wrong one to have been engaged in at the time. A balance cannot be successful created that ensures the accomplishment that a student longs to have in both academic and a social which leaves the student with discontent in their life. College students feel torn between whether to get academic work done or attend a fun workshop being held on campus.
When a student is in an environment that doesn’t allow comfort it often causes a conflict. A student is most likely to do work in a place they feel comfortable being in. This is shown when Axel says, “The interaction of students’ studying and leisure-related strivings has been mainly investigated with a focus on the achievement domain (2014, 243)”. The environment in which a student tends to do such activities plays a big role in whether the task gets done or not. The collaboration between study and pleasure can ensure the success of a student.
This is shown When Korpela(2001) is talking about peoples it is favorite places it is stated that, “The feeling most frequently associated with favorite places would contribute to emotional well-being –relaxation, calmness, and comfortableness in the first place with happiness enjoyment…forgetting worries” (587-588). This helps prove that point that a place such as the stars lounge is an ideal place to have fun and work hard. The lounge allows students to feels at ease in their environment. This is a place known to students who are on campus to be free and still be able to get academic goals set by them and teachers.
When a student has a place to go that integrates education and relaxation they are more likely to keep the balance. Keeping the balance of work and pleasure will led to a better well rounded person. Stars lounge helps students with the balance of college life and fun time.ResultsThe University of Illinois at Springfield has created a solution to the problem.
The building known as the Stars Lounge is a place where academic and non-academic come together and create the perfect balance a student needs to get the full college affect. The building has a homey feel to it. When students arrive the weight of school seems to be lifted although they’re still on campus.
Star Lounge is a relaxed environment that people come to connect with friends and also get work done. Students often come more on Thursday thru Saturday. During this time students are done with classes and are able to incorporate their studies with a little bit of a social life. The place is filled with music which creates a student life ambience . There is a chalk wall mural when you first walk in, multiple flat screen TV’s, variety of game systems and games, brown round tables chair, games and long rectangular pool tables. It even a food counter and vending machines that consist of white castles burger and nachos to Pepsi, to strawberry kiwi juice.
Student usually come with a group of friends and split off into section of the room. They normally spend and even amount of time playing games and then work is started. The tables become filled with books, notes after a good amount spent on work often breaks are taken to engage in non-academic activities such as playing games or eating snacks. It seems that after the first visit many become addicted to the atmosphere and come on a regular basis.MethodsI studied the stars lounge for a week.
I went to observed at 5:00pm-7:00pm on a Monday thru Thursdays this is typically the time when students has the most work to do. I would set at a table in the back corner. I chose to observe at this table because it gave me a better look at the room.
I then pretended to do homework myself to not disturb the atmosphere. There were about 20 people not including the workers. I took notes on paper and on my laptop to write down the atmosphere and what was going on. The workers sat at a table and talked to their friends. Once a customer would stand at the counter they would get up and service that person to either switch game or make food.
All of the TV’s where occupied with guys playing basketball games, auto games and fighting games. The projection screens were occupied by both male and females playing Just Dance. There was a group of male and females that where playing pool and would often yell out if they would miss a shot. In back corner near me were a group that had laptops and books on the table seeming to be studying for an upcoming exam. They traded off every 15 minutes to play games and then come back to work. I noticed that those who were at the stars lounges traveled in as groups and together engaged in group activities that included everyone. The overall atmosphere seemed to be very relaxed and controlled environment.DiscussionWhen students are in an environment comfortable to them they tend to do better.
When a person is happy they tend to be able to focus at the task set in front of them without a problem. A place that provides happiness and relaxation that can also include school work is a winner for any college student. When these emotions are experienced they tend to have no problem working on a huge task like a seven page paper or studying for midterms. Something that is fun becomes easier to remember and gasp concepts. If a student is having trouble with math and arranges to meet their friends to work on math at the Stars Lounge they might be able to incorporate a math problem into a song they hear playing to make it easier to remember the strategies. They can even use a rewards system and say every math problem that is correct equals the amount of break time you can have to play pool or play games on the X-box. Being able to include fun into learning makes it easier for a scholar to feel comfortable starting challenge material that would normally seems an impossible task if they were left in their room to do it by themselves.
The task now seems approachable and students have more motivation and confidence to do the task no matter the depth or the time needed to be spent on it. If an assignment requires four hours to complete doing it in the Stars Lounge the time seems to fly by while you’re having fun and doing work.ConclusionAll colleges should invest in a place such as the Stars lounge. It will help students feel secure in not only their social life but also academic work as well. It can help create stability that most college students struggle with creating. Creating a relaxing setting in all universities across the country could help cure the notation that work and fun doesn’t mix.
A stress free atmosphere would leave barriers that in other settings such as the dorm room that would make them hold back from full ability. Being in a comforting setting draws students in and encourages them to work their hardest. This would eliminate the fight between academic and non-academic work and create a smooth transition into both that would ensure the success of all student because they’ve had their health dose of fun and work. This doesn’t necessarily mean that all universities should build additional building to their universities because than financials would play a big role in an expansion of universities and possibility take away from students overall learning. It does mean, however, that universities should set asides areas for students so that they have places other than dorms to do work in.
The universities should cater to the needs of students to become successful in their universities. This will create an overall more successful environment for students and help them tackle the overwhelming work load and need to socialize.
