Serious question. How many hours a week do you spend studying?

<p>Just on an average.</p>

<p>I'm not trying to be a troll by any means, but my mom is basically forcing me to apply to Harvard, and she knows that I'm more the social butterfly than the study, study, study type. Almost to the point where I'll fool around for most of the day and wait until the evening to start being productive with schoolwork.</p>

<p>Is there any time to do anything other than study? Is the courseload that rigorous?
Is there any time to just relax and not have to worry about a big project or a major test coming up?</p>

<p>^ A friend of mine that currently goes to Harvard (class of '11) claims that he hardly has any time to do anything other than study and sleep.</p>

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<p>I find this really strange. I have friends at all of the ivies (except Columbia and Cornell) and ALL of them are extremely social and active people. They are extremely involved in extracurriculars and also know how to have a good time. While they do buckle down near midterms and finals, they definitely don’t limit their activity to studying and sleeping.</p>

<p>Harvard (or any college, really) is what you make it. You can party all the time or you can study all the time. It’s best not to rely on hearsay.</p>

<p>Hi BaddyCaddy09,</p>

<p>I’ll have to give the world’s most boring answer- it depends. It depends on your concentration, it depends on the semester, it depends on your class selection, and it depends on how well you want to do.</p>

<p>I myself have had both extraordinarily busy semesters (in which I had perhaps 5-10 hours a WEEK free outside of work and sleep) and extraordinarily laid back semesters (in which I simply took off some weekdays and did nothing but hang out and watch television). And within a semester it can vary greatly- I’ve had weeks where I had literally no assignments due and weeks in which it felt like every class was piling on whatever they could.</p>

<p>I CERTAINLY have had friends that are “social butterflies,” and spend only a small fraction of their time on schoolwork. Though I should note that just because some students prefer to spend less time on schoolwork doesn’t mean they aren’t being productive- many become involved in sports, extracurriculars, jobs, whatever.</p>

<p>Most importantly, this does not apply to Harvard alone. At any college you can find courses and majors that will take up all your time, or you can plan your undergraduate experience such that you have a lot of time free.</p>

<p>Good luck in your application!</p>

<p>2 hours :)</p>