The ‘College Confessions’ page styles itself as the “#1 page for college content,” and it’s hard to argue with how popular it is. 

The project is absolutely massive on social media. On Instagram, a whopping 5.4 million people follow the page for the freshest confessions and college-life memes. Meanwhile, 102.1k internet users follow the project’s Twitter account.

The Instagram account has a little bit of everything for everyone. On one side, we have confessions that range anywhere from humorous uni-life oddities to secrets that probably no student would want to admit publicly. It’s a good thing that they can do so anonymously.

On the other side, you have hilarious memes that perfectly encapsulate what it’s like to be a student. Partying way too much. Eating unhealthily (what even is a vegetable?). Forgetting about, y’know, actually studying. Sharing the rollercoaster of a ride that comes from interacting with the quirky faculty. It’s life at its most chaotic. With all the good and bad that this brings.

However, attending university is more than just about partying and doing the bare minimum to pass your classes. Sure, it’s an opportunity to test your limits, meet new people, and see what life has to offer, but it doesn’t have to be a re-run of your favorite college comedies. Ideally, you’re looking for a balance between studying (i.e. delving deep into the topics that interest the academic inside you) and having an active social life (something that’s important no matter how young or old we are). Spending all of your time in bars and clubs is just as bad as staying isolated in your room, nose to the grindstone, 12 hours a day with no breaks.

According to ‘All College Talk,’ students ought to study between three to four hours a day. That way, you’ll be able to keep pace with the assignments and review the material before each class and seminar. Study less and you’re risking falling behind (though, hey, we’ve all been there, haven’t we?). Study more and you’ll realize that you’re not as efficient as you think. As always, consistent effort almost always trumps studying ‘binges’ right before the deadline.

Research has shown that office employees spend fewer than 3 hours actually working every day. That’s more or less the amount of time that people can stay focused and productive. So keep that in mind for your study periods as well. Odds are that if you schedule yourself 8 hours of non-stop studying, you’ll end up either procrastinating (hi, YouTube and Instagram!), or you’ll keep rereading the same page half a dozen times because you’re just too darn tired to make sense of the material.

Though if you absolutely must cram in hours and hours of studying into a single day, the best thing you can do is to take long breaks between each session. Take a nap. Go for a walk. Go make yourself some dinner. Eat some dark chocolate. Get a quick workout session in. Meet up with a friend. Let your brain rest so you can focus when you need to get your hands (and brain) dirty again.

If you realize that you’ve been falling behind way too often, don’t panic. Universities often have awesome support structures in place to help students achieve their full potential, and lend them a hand when they’re dealing with tough issues. Reach out to your mentor or your local student body for a conversation about what’s going on. Colleges also sometimes have therapists available for more serious issues.

Also, consider seeing the head of your program during their office hours, or pop by for a chat with the college admin staff. The odds are that they’ll be more than happy to give you some practical advice. For instance, they might help you put together a studying schedule. Or they’ll give you some pointers on what material to focus on either for coursework or exams.

Don’t forget that you have an even wider support system than that! Talk to your roommates or your college buddies. Call your family or your pals back home. Heck, use the weekend to actually go back home if you’re missing your nearest and dearest. Nobody’s an island—we need to feel loved and like we belong. And if nobody’s available, you could always make an anonymous confession online. You never know, a complete stranger might give you just the perspective that you need.