Given the way UR has distinguished themselves as being academically rigorous, a lot of what I’m seeing/ hearing is that there isn’t much time for anything else (fun). How do students balance many extra curriculars, work, and chill time all while keeping track of this workload that everyone makes out to be so daunting?
You’ll learn to work hard/play hard if that’s what you want - It really all comes down to time-management. One of the great things about college as opposed to high-school and the real world, is you have the ability to make your own schedule most of the time. Outside of a couple hours of lecture each day, you decide when you want to do things: homework, study, research, work out, chill, sleep, etc. If you choose to get involved with extracurriculars or the social scene (read: parties), what probably suffers the most is “chill” time. It’s up to you what you want to prioritize. For reference, I was an engineering student at U of R, so I had a hefty work-load. Although I was fortunate enough to have a work-study job that allowed me to do school work while getting paid, that only played a small role in my time-management routines. This is how it usually played out for me when I was an undergrad, so hopefully it is relatable:
I played intramural sports on a couple week nights: I made sure to get my study/homework time in beforehand, and maybe got my dinner to-go on my way to the library, then walked down to the stadium for flag football. Once it was over, I hit the shower and went to bed (limited chill time).
I was also in a fraternity and we often had parties/mixers on Saturday nights. I would spend the majority of Saturday in the library studying so that I could sleep in or nurse a hangover on Sunday. If I really had a ton of work to get done, I’d sit the party out entirely and hit the library both days.
Depending on the time in the semester, you may have more or less work to do. But more often than not, you will need to prioritize. If you are active doing things other than class/studying, chances are you won’t be spending much time watching Netflix in your room. You will have some free time here and there, but weekends don’t really mean that you stop working – they just mean that you don’t have a lecture to go to.
For me, I basically sacrificed things that were less essential to me (chill time, a few gym sessions, sit-down meals) because I prioritized school and having fun whenever I could. Your priorities may differ a bit but the principles of time management still apply. Also, some majors are more time-consuming than others, so the workload can vary quite a bit. It can sound overwhelming, but you get used to the workload/social life balance – it also helps that most of your friends will probably be on the same page. You just have to learn to find that balance and don’t forget why you’re there in the first place.
D goes to UR and keeps busy with a double major, premed-track classes, research job, sorority, e-board on a couple of clubs, etc. From what she says, people do acknowledge that courses come first there. They’re pretty understanding if you bow out of things occasionally because you’ve got work to do. “I’ve got to study” is a perfectly legitimate excuse for choosing not to do something on the weekend and usually there’s somebody you know at the library there with you.
I can’t say how it is for the major you plan but many students “overload” meaning they take an extra class and manage to do it and do well. My son was a ME major and he overloaded with easier classes he was interested in and his grades did not suffer. Time management is the key.