After 7.5 months of job searching, I finally secured an opportunity that would not only enhance my skillsets, but also open doors for new opportunities in the healthcare industry. If you would like to read more about my journey back to Aggieland, then be sure to search for my blog titled, “What Brought You to Texas A&M University?  
 
I am now a second-year doctoral student, and all I can say is “wow!” Not only have I undergone several life changes, which I will share with you all, but I have also learned so much about myself.  

When pursuing a doctoral degree, you come to realize how much of an investment your institution makes into your discipline. But you also learn that your take-home salary is minimal. It is enough to live off of, but it is minimal, so the financial opportunity cost is definitely something that future doctoral students need to consider when applying and matriculating into a program.  

In order to make sure I could financially maintain the house I purchased and meet my monthly expenses, I decided to rent out two of my bedrooms to current students. So, when I started my doctoral program I was not just a returning student, but I also became a landlord and a roommate to two seniors who were graduating in December. In hindsight, it turned out to be a good thing that these students and I were not living under the same roof for much longer than that, but I’ll come back to that point.  

While I was navigating these new roles as a doctoral student, a landlord, and a roommate, I was also navigating a new aspect of my personal relationship: finally living in the same city as my boyfriend. It took us 3.5 years to make this a reality, but all good things do take time, and this was definitely a good thing for us! But that does not go without saying that it, honestly, took him and I time to adjust to this new lifestyle amidst both of us being in school and working. If anyone had told me months in advance that I would be juggling all of these new roles simultaneously, I’m pretty sure I would have laughed with anxiety, followed by a panic attack from envisioning this new life. 
 
Nonetheless, each of the new roles taught me more about myself. Over the past year, I have learned that my preferred study habits and study environments are not the same as they were during my undergraduate and master’s careers. While I still need my environment to be organized with minimal distractions, I realized that having roommates who were in a different point of their lives was still too much of a distraction for my household. This realization also highlighted that I am a bit of a control-freak. My roommates’ lifestyles were out of my control, which caused a new level of stress that I honestly believed was not going to be an issue. After they moved out, there was so much more peace mentally and emotionally for me because I was no longer consciously worried about anyone else except myself and my now fiancé. 
 
I have also learned that having friends outside of my doctoral program and outside of the Texas A&M academic circle has been so enriching. While I am not able to spend time with these friends multiple times a week, seeing them at least once a week at church or at a small gathering has been so life-giving! These relationships have become an outlet for me to turn off my academic brain and just enjoy doing life with others. With my personality being very extroverted, taking time to build other relationships is actually refueling for me, especially since so much of my research work and learning is done alone. And with being home alone for most of the days and working remotely for even more because of the pandemic, I have learned that I need these types of relationships to balance out the mental demands of my program. 
 
Perhaps the most rewarding lesson I have learned is that while I was navigating all of these new roles, my now fiancé has been the greatest support and outlet for me to manage my stress, decompress, and find balance. He brought an outside perspective to various scenarios when I had roommates that helped me to let go of things I could not control. His leisure activities became a chance for me to invest in him and our relationship. Normal activities, such as grocery shopping, carpooling to campus, watching a show, working out together, and sharing a meal together have become so soothing, in contrast to the hustle and demands of my program. He has become the one person who knows me better than myself right now. I am beyond grateful that I have him as I continue to work through this program and as we continue to prepare for our upcoming nuptials. 
 
So, with all of this said, how do you find balance in your life while managing your personal and academic life? What lessons have you learned about yourself? How have you grown because of the challenges you have faced? 
 
-Laura Benavides 
 
Laura is a doctoral student in the department of Health Policy and Management.