Social life, grades, sleep...choose 2

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dellian101

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how do you balance your schedule?
i'm doing 20 hours in a lab, 16 credits this semester and volunteering...now i'm getting nervous. please help !
 
Social life and grades...sleep you can make up for later.
 
I don't see why you can't have all three. That doesn't seem like an outrageous schedule to me. A lot of people work part time, go to class, volunteer, and still manage to have free time.
 
I chose all three. And I volunteered, had some other ECs, and did a substantial amount of research. Try again. I did just fine, and it wasn't because I was smarter (I'm not). It's just about managing your time.

If people put things off and just sit on their ass at home, time goes quickly. Make a schedule and stick to it. Like two hours of study should be two hours of study, not checking your facebook status.

I see these kids just go crazy, and they ask me how I do it. So I tell them to stick with me for one day, and you can see how 10 minutes into their study, they're on the phone for the next 30 minutes, and then go check their email, then look at the some books, and then check their facebook. And in the end, they think they've studied for three hours instead of 20 minutes.

I don't bring my laptop and I turn my phone off when I study. That is the single biggest thing kids can do. Keep it off for one/two/three/whatever hours a day you study and actually study. You're not that important, no one absolutely has to talk to you for the next two hours.
 
IvyHopeful20 said:
I chose all three. And I volunteered, had some other ECs, and did a substantial amount of research. Try again. I did just fine, and it wasn't because I was smarter (I'm not). It's just about managing your time.

If people put things off and just sit on their ass at home, time goes quickly. Make a schedule and stick to it. Like two hours of study should be two hours of study, not checking your facebook status.

I see these kids just go crazy, and they ask me how I do it. So I tell them to stick with me for one day, and you can see how 10 minutes into their study, they're on the phone for the next 30 minutes, and then go check their email, then look at the some books, and then check their facebook. And in the end, they think they've studied for three hours instead of 20 minutes.

I don't bring my laptop and I turn my phone off when I study. That is the single biggest thing kids can do. Keep it off for one/two/three/whatever hours a day you study and actually study. You're not that important, no one absolutely has to talk to you for the next two hours.
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Great advice! Although my grades/MCAT is not quite as high as yours (lol), my usual week consists of volunteering ~6hrs/wk, tutoring ~6, TA-ing ~8, 16-18 hour semesters, leading clubs (which takes a TON of time), etc.. Here's the trick... learn to discipline yourself (like what Ivy was saying).

But what works for me is when things get mentally chaotic, WRITE IT DOWN!! let's say you have a ton of things to do, deadlines to meet, etc... put it on paper, give each one a deadline (preferably make the deadline at least a day before the actual due date), and prioritize which ones you want to tackle first. Lastly, approximate how much time it will take to complete each task (when you do this, always OVERESTIMATE... for example, if I had something like a simple homework assignment to complete, I give myself 2 hours, even though it may take 30 minutes max).

It's like a battle tactic. You'll be happily surprised at how simply doing this can turn something chaotic into efficient and organized. I tell people to try this when they feel like they have a ton to do... it's amazing how "I have no idea how I'm going to do this AHHHHH" turns into "wow... if I just work hard this one day, I'll be done with it all!"

Good times... lol. Hope this helps.
 
grades and secondaries. :meanie:

who has time for sleep and a social life on top of work/ECs/classes/apps??

:laugh:
 
This was my schedule for my last semester. I got plenty of study done, and much of that study time on saturday, I didn't need to do and had more free time. Sunday was important to look over next week's material, and if you combine previewing next week's material, pay attention in class, study the material right after, and do a review every week, thats four times you've looked at that material and you don't ever need to look at it again until the exam. And my exam week schedule isn't much different because I've been learning the material all semester. And I have plenty of time for my research job, volunteering, and other ECs.

schedulesemester.jpg
 
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IvyHopeful20 said:
This was my schedule for my last semester. I got plenty of study done, and much of that study time on saturday, I didn't need to do and had more free time. Sunday was important to look over next week's material, and if you combine previewing next week's material, pay attention in class, study the material right after, and do a review every week, thats four times you've looked at that material and you don't ever need to look at it again until the exam. And my exam week schedule isn't much different because I've been learning the material all semester. And I have plenty of time for my research job, volunteering, and other ECs.

schedulesemester.jpg
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You are a motivation man. My biggest flaw in life: time management and prioritizing activities/studies.

I have really good grades and etc, but life is very, very, very stressful before tests because of time management. I hope to become disciplined like you someday. I have noticed people who have done (or doing) sort of martial arts are more disciplined. It could be a coincidence, but just something that I personally have observed over the years.

You are completely right about studying. "Kids" including myself don't really study for 3 hours. They will sit at the library for 3 hours, but actual productivity maybe one an hour or so.

Plus you manage to sleep ~ 11-7 (8rs) approx...which is great! Good for you.
 
Social life and grades. Sleep on weekends as much as possible. This year I have an 8 am MWF and then just loaded up all my other classes on tuesday/thursday. If (and that's a big if) I can wake up and roll into my 8 am I've got a solid 4-5 hour nap waiting for me when I'm done
 
For me, I have chosen grades and sleep in the past year.

More accurately, I would say grades, sleep, and ECs.
 
I did all 3 and them some.
My schedule next semester (which is similar to what it's been throughout UG for me) is 4 science courses, 2 labs plus working 35-45 hrs/wk (3-12 hrs/day), volunteering 6-8 hrs/wk, and hanging out w/ friends 3-5 nights/wk. I will still get 6-8 hrs of sleep/night. My secrets: study efficiently (no more than 1 hr/wk/class beyond required coursework or exams), go to class (to get what the professor wants you to know -- and nothing he doesn't), learn conceptually (busywork is of the devil...keep that in mind and don't engage in it), and structure your time efficiently.

Typical week for me looks like:
M/W -- 7am-1pm Class, 2-5pm Work, 7-9pm hang w/ friends (study during breaks, 9-11pm)
T -- 8am-1pm Class, 2-5pm Work, 7-9pm volunteer (study during breaks, 9-11pm)
R -- 8am-1pm Class, 2-5pm Work, 7-10pm hang w/ friends (study during breaks)
F -- 7am-1pm Class, 2-5pm Work, 7pm-9pm Volunteer & hang out w/ friends (one of my volunteer positions is an on-call medical position + other primarily social volunteer duties, so I get to do both simultaneously)
Sat/Sun -- 7am-7pm Work, 7-10pm hang w/ friends or study PRN
 
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IvyLeagueHopeful, you and I think alike. We had similar schedules at one point, and that is how I tackled it and managed to have free time "at night"...which is one of my biggest "needs", unless there's a big test or something coming up. Work hard during the day whilst in class and at research so that I have free time to study when I'm not doing either of those things or volunteering..and you're set

As many people have said, diligence and time management is CRUCIAL for having a balanced life. Think of people who work 60-70 hours a week for most of the year; they've got it a lot tougher than us (as much as we'd like to think otherwise), but they're trucking along just fine!
 
Social life, yes. Hard-core partying, no.

Choose the one that only takes away your productivity while doing it, not the morning after.
 
flatlandhiker said:
Choose the one that only takes away your productivity while doing it, not the morning after.
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haha, so true. The absolute worse is when you wake up, your head is throbbing, and you cant do anything until about midday, sometimes for a whole day, and in certain EXTREME cases be incapacitated to do anything productive for 2 whole days.
 
dellian101 said:
how do you balance your schedule?
i'm doing 20 hours in a lab, 16 credits this semester and volunteering...now i'm getting nervous. please help !
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Trick question. My social life and sleep happen at the same time.

OH SNAP!
 
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IvyHopeful20 said:
This was my schedule for my last semester. I got plenty of study done, and much of that study time on saturday, I didn't need to do and had more free time. Sunday was important to look over next week's material, and if you combine previewing next week's material, pay attention in class, study the material right after, and do a review every week, thats four times you've looked at that material and you don't ever need to look at it again until the exam. And my exam week schedule isn't much different because I've been learning the material all semester. And I have plenty of time for my research job, volunteering, and other ECs.

schedulesemester.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks... honestly I think this was the kick in the ass I needed. 👍

I've been groaning all summer about my schedule for this semester - organic chem, cell bio, A&P 1, lab tech/work study, research, teaching an intro bio lab, and now possible shadowing.

I've always put my classes, meetings, and such into my iCal, but never scheduled my free time or even my study time. I'm guessing it might be worth doing this semester though.
 
I'm surprised there are so many responses telling you to not worry about sleep. I fall apart without sleep. I'd say your social life is the least important of the three.
 
kaylak05 said:
I'm surprised there are so many responses telling you to not worry about sleep. I fall apart without sleep. I'd say your social life is the least important of the three.
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This, although I wouldn't say social life is the least important. Without at least 6 hrs of sleep I am pretty much useless.
 
IvyHopeful20, I'm really impressed by your schedule. I'm the worst with time management, and I'm really hoping to change that next semester. Just out of curiosity, what were the blank spaces/boxes you left on your schedule for?
 
You can do all three. Oddly, the semester that I took 7 classes, worked for 20 hours/week, had a leadership position in a club (that actually required a lot of hours and communication with people since I had to coordinate a program we had with elementary and middle schools in the area and present at the schools) was my best semester GPA-wise. It's probably due to what a lot of people have been emphasizing: when you have lots of time, you mess around. The other semesters I'd go back to my dorm and hang out, say I was going to study, lug all my books to the library and not get much done because I had my laptop open, etc. When you know you have a limited amount of time to get all tasks done in order to stay afloat, however, you're actually much more productive. That also allowed me to have my stuff done and be able to go out and have fun, and I had plenty of fun that semester!

There's a fine line between taking on too much and taking on a lot to the point that it motivates you though. So I wouldn't recommend taking orgo, biochem, bio, physics, chem, and their labs all in one semester. That's crazy. But it is possible to take on a lot of credits when you play to your strengths and have at least one "easy" class (that's different for everyone, "easy" may just be something in your major that you're familiar with so you enjoy it and it comes naturally to you).
 
MDcraft said:
after seeing some of these responses and some of the posts on SDN, I am glad I found out about SDN after I graduated.

Social life is not something you have to go after. If you are welcoming, respectful, humble person and you make others feel good, people will always manage to find you. They will call you or if they see you in class, they will come sit next to you. They will invite you to activities such as going to gym together or going to play pool or basketball. You will be popular and there is nothing you can do about it. If you don't possess any of those qualities above, nobody will bother to show you their face while your studying down in the library. Even if they do see you, they will just walk by.

You are either social or not. Friends is not something you go make. IF you have no social life right now, you will never have later. You cant change your personality. Peace.

It just makes me sad knowing that people who are popular and social have to pay a big price getting into medical school
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You make things sound sooooooo depressing... lol... com'on, buddy, lighten up a bit! Honestly, you CAN be popular and social and still succeed in getting admitted to med school. The above schedules people (incl myself) listed really aren't that bad. They simply show dedication and diligence along with a desire to have fun. There's sacrifice to be made but that's life and, honestly, unless your idea of "fun" is going out and getting smashed, you can have plenty of fun while in college and pursuing medicine. (Personally, I find smashed people pretty boring and/or obnoxious; not gonna lie.... Backpacking a 14-er or kayaking or waterskiing, OTOH....)
 
Why must each one be separate from the other? I socialize and sleep while studying.
 
I balanced things out by flipping the bird to the idea of research and slipping on sunglasses as I walked into the sunset.
 
dontforgetxx said:
IvyHopeful20, I'm really impressed by your schedule. I'm the worst with time management, and I'm really hoping to change that next semester. Just out of curiosity, what were the blank spaces/boxes you left on your schedule for?
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Even I have to eat sometimes. 😛.

Also, not everything goes 100% to plan, I generally know which activities might take longer, so I have some free time in between that I can use to do whatever I need to (maybe study more, write that lab report, run errands, etc). But I know how to manage my time - I never study past six, and from 9:30pm onwards, it's always free time for me (longer on the weekends). Friday's I go out after 8, Saturday even longer. I hang out with my girlfriend every day, go out with friends at least 2-3 times a week. I've managed to have a good social life, maintain a really good GPA in a hard major, and get 8 hours of sleep every day. More on Sunday in case I'm hung over/wake up naked in a garbage can twenty miles from the city.

The main thing though, as I said, is studying. I actually study. I found that very few people just sit and focus for two/three hours. They check their mail, zone out, go on facebook, etc. If people just focused and studied when they were supposed to, and did it everyday, I bet most people would do fine without even having a schedule.
 
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dellian101 said:
how do you balance your schedule?
i'm doing 20 hours in a lab, 16 credits this semester and volunteering...now i'm getting nervous. please help !
Click to expand...

That's similar to my schedule this year. If you stick with proper time management, you'll be just fine.
 
If you're doin it right you can pull all this off. you just might have to compromise sleep here and there.
 
At the beginning of my freshman year, someone told me that in college you can only ever have two of the three S's (school, sleep, social life).. it was definitely true for me. But I also realized that I wasted a LOT of time pretending to "study" (aka really just f*ck around going on facebook/textsfromlastnight/sporcle/etc). I used to drag out assignments and it'd take me hours and hours to do them just because I kept getting distracted, and then it'd be like 4 in the morning and even when I'd try to focus I couldn't, because I was so tired. Eventually I'd just fall asleep over my notes and for all my half-assed efforts I might as well have just gone to bed early, since that would have been a better use of my time.

Like Ivy said, you just have to suck it up and WORK for a couple solid hours and then you're home free.. it just works out so much better in the end.
 
studmuffin said:
If you're doin it right you can pull all this off. you just might have to compromise sleep here and there.
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Sleep is the last thing I compromise. You don't have to if you plan right in 99% of the cases.
 
If its possible I would double up on grades. But otherwise I would choose grades and sleep; friends are overrated.
 
sleep in your classes. get caught up on work when you should be going out. go out after you realize you wasted half the night studying. get to bed around 2:30 nightly, and be up the next day earlier than you rightly should. best part is, you are always so focused on making up time, you are doubly committed to each activity. much more enjoyable.
 
I work 40+ hours each week, have 15 credits over summer (read condensed) at 3 schools, drive 1 hr each way to work, and am still pulling straight As in my 300/3000-400/4000 science classes. In addition to volunteering... sorry, but your schedule isn't that hard.... you can do it...
 
Okay, seriously you can do it if you want to without sacrificing any of those. It's about efficiency. I talked about taking 7 classes and doing other activities while still sleeping enough and having a social life not to make your schedule sound dinky or to post the usual SDN superpower person facade. It actually worked out for me and as I've said it was due to 1) being efficient with my time 2) picking out the classes that I was actually capable of balancing that semester. That semester with 7 classes went great, I played to my strengths. In contrast, a semester in which I took 5 classes went horribly wrong. Why? Because I took physics, physics lab, orgo, orgo lab, and biochemistry. Maybe it would have been cool if I was a chem major, I wasn't. It was a disaster and many other people would have known better, I should have. But I was on a pre-med kick, "oh, let me get all these pre-med classes out of the way all at once!"

You should definitely have a social life and you should definitely sleep. If you don't sleep your grades will suffer and if you don't socialize your morale will suffer. Pick the right classes, volunteering in nearby locations (commutes are killer too), just be smart.
 
Just wanted to add that if you find that you need to cut back on hours at the lab or volunteering for your sanity, do it. Don't think you're weak, don't think you've fail, just do it early enough so that you don't mess up your semester. The lab will still function without you, you aren't what keeps the world going.
 
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