<p>For current or former Harvard students, how much time does academic work itself take up (time in class and homework, not including extracurriculurs) on average weekdays? What about weekends? Your best estimate would suffice. </p>
<p>Is it uncommon to get a decent amount of sleep at Harvard and still keep up with good grades and all the extracurriculurs?</p>
<p>You cannot get a decent amount of sleep, the best grades, and all the extracurriculars. Or if you do, they’ll give you a Rhodes for it. The limitations of everywhere else in the universe apply here also. That said, I don’t think it’s hard to get a decent amount of sleep and very good grades and reasonable extracurriculars, which seems to be the norm among my friend group. Then there are the people who get decent amounts of sleep, decent grades, and do crazy amounts of extracurriculars, of whom I certainly know a lot. Then, of course, since this is Harvard, there are the people who don’t get enough sleep, but get the best grades and run “all” the extracurriculars.</p>
<p>^ First get in, then worry about sleep. Unfortunately most of us won’t have to ask questions haha.</p>
<p>I’m just curious if I want to go even if I get in… Nobody wants to be unreasonably stressed out (and/or tired) for four years.</p>
<p>D sleeps; her suitemates do not. D’s grades are very good and she’s pretty involved. Not sure about suitemates.</p>
<p>I think it depends upon your course load/extracurricular commitments. My S took Math 55 and a couple of other insane courses (why his advisor signed off, I’ll never know.) His sleep was sporadic BUT he LOVED what he was doing and wouldn’t have changed it for the world (heck he is already prepping for 55b during J Term).<br>
On the other hand he knows kids who get to bed at a reasonable hour and have a balanced life–just none do Math 55…
So the bottom line is that Harvard is pretty much what you decide you want it to be–which, I think, is how it should be.</p>
<p>Oh, but during exams (mid and esp finals)-- all bets are off-- buy stock in Red Bull…seriously…</p>
<p>The academic workload is manageable, but I often get little sleep because I’m so busy talking to friends. :P</p>
<p>@lazypickles</p>
<p>Sleep outside?! What?! I think you might be misinterpreting the Occupy Harvard movement [that is now pretty much over] …?</p>
<p>@everyone</p>
<p>So yes, basically, Harvard can be unreasonable, like any place, but it can be reasonable, like any place, depending on what combination of classes and ECs you want to do.</p>
<p>Lazypickles: Is this a required class or an elective? O.o Just kidding…</p>
<p>Thanks for the info.</p>
<p>It can basically go either way. There are a lot of very easy classes that you can take, and if you only put those in your schedule, you’d easily get a lot of sleep. But there are also a lot of very hard courses. It really just depends on your major and/or ambition level.
Number of classes is another important factor. I took five classes letter-graded this semester, and even though no one of them was excruciatingly hard, together it was a lot of work, and I didn’t get as much sleep as I’d have liked. Five finals and two final paper in one week - needless to say, I didn’t sleep very much that week.
If sleep is important to you, you can definitely arrange your schedule so that you can get it.</p>