Navigating Dilemmas: Between Internships, Competitions, or Student Organizations
The transition process from being a student to a university student is one of the crucial moments in human life. During this phase, the adolescent desire to seek identity peaks — manifested in efforts to choose a path in life, whether to continue education at a higher level or to start working. The complexity of options doesn’t stop there. When a teenager has decided to pursue higher education, the next dilemma comes in choosing which campus to attend and what activities to engage in during their spare time between classes. In the past, a junior student at school asked me for pre-college advice. This is what I said:
“There are 5 things you can achieve as a student, namely excellent academic grades, outstanding competitions, a stable organizational career, a productive job (such as internships, entrepreneurship, or part-time work), and engaging in hobbies you enjoy. All five are options, but for satisfactory results, you can only choose 3.”
In this writing, I will share the dilemma I experienced when faced with these five choices, the considerations I used to choose my top three priorities during college, and conclude with a reflection on those choices.
The FOMO College Students
The majority of freshmen students are a group of confused yet ambitious individuals with a great passion for trying new things. The thrill of being a freshman often leads them to join organizations or participate in activities out of curiosity, sometimes even bordering on the fear of missing out (FOMO), a term used to describe the fear of missing out on moments or information. This FOMO sensation then drives the bewildered freshmen to immediately follow what those around them are doing. However, acting out of FOMO may not always end well. Sometimes, the inability to identify what is truly desired and choosing to follow prevailing trends can lead to regret.
In college life, students actually spend more time outside the classroom than inside. When this leisure time is well-utilized, students can reap more benefits that can help them knock on more doors of success post-graduation. Therefore, careful consideration is needed so that the available leisure time is not wasted.
Turning Limitations into Benefits: The 3/5 Formula
It’s important to remember that while leisure time outside the classroom is indeed substantial — compared to the time we spend in class — our time is still limited. Not to mention, there are psychological and energy variables that we must consider when using leisure time for beneficial activities. The usefulness of the activities we engage in can be measured by the output and/or outcomes we achieve. If an activity does not increase money, skills, knowledge, health, or bring us joy in the short or long term, then that activity is considered not beneficial.
To utilize time optimally, we can use the 3/5 formula. Reiterating the statement above, there are five things that can be achieved during college: academics, competitions, organizations, work/internships, and hobbies. You could choose all five, but with the limitations of time and energy, it’s very difficult to achieve optimal results. In the end, you can only choose three out of the five available options.
Start by finding out what you really want and try to devise steps that can help you achieve it. If you’re still unsure, you can explore new things, but remember, the activities you engage in should be based on rational reasons, not because of FOMO. The goal is to use your limited time, energy, and mind to achieve satisfying results. This can be done by mapping out your activities using the 3/5 formula.
Ikigai: Making Life More Meaningful
Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese term that describes the meaning of life. Literally, the word “ikigai” comes from “iki,” meaning life, and “gai,” meaning value, so Ikigai can be interpreted as the reason for our existence. Essentially, Ikigai is the intersection of four elements: Passion, Mission, Vocation, and Profession. In finding Ikigai, the most important thing is to balance these four elements to complement each other in shaping a sustainable life purpose. When these four aspects are combined, they form a diagram as follows:
Ikigai is the convergence of your abilities (what you are good at), income (what you can be paid for), world’s needs (what the world needs), and what you love (what you love). When the activities we engage in fulfill these four aspects, then we have successfully applied Ikigai. Finding Ikigai is not a simple task; it requires a process and perseverance to discover Ikigai in life. However, during the process of self-discovery in college, we can start by finding the intersection of passion, profession, vacation, and mission.
- Passion: can be defined as something we enjoy. It’s something that excites us to do it and makes us happy when we do it, such as hobbies or personal pleasures.
- Profession: is something we feel expert in. This expertise can be obtained through education or training courses.
- Vacation: Vacation is something we can do and provides an incentive for us.
- Mission: is things needed by the environment around us. It may not align with our passion but it’s possible for us to contribute with small things we can do for our environment.
Through the concept of ikigai, we can begin to map out what beneficial activities we can do to spend leisure time through the consideration of passion, profession, vacation, and mission.
My Three Choices: A Testimony of the 3/5 Formula and Ikigai Concept
From the five available options, I chose academics, organizations, and competitions as the three things I wanted to achieve optimally. My academic goal is not extravagant; I just aim for cum laude. In the organization, I joined the Student Executive Board (BEM) in the Department of Strategic Studies and Actions (Kastrat) because this field aligns with my desire to increase social-political awareness (mission). Meanwhile, participating in various writing and public speaking competitions is an area I pursue and enjoy (passion).
The 3/5 formula and the concept of ikigai make leisure time outside the classroom can be allocated optimally because all limitations of time and energy are used for something beneficial based on ability, preference, necessity, and profit. In 2023, my GPA was quite satisfying; I won 12 writing competitions at the national level; I got to know many stakeholders from the local to the central level; and published dozens of infographics, academic essays, propaganda, and studies with the Department of Kastrat BEM FISIP UI.
