Overloading and How to Take Care of Yourself

The number of credits you are allowed to take in a semester usually maxes out at 18, although with a good GPA and permission from your advisor and the school, you can take more credits (usually up to 22) if you need them to graduate or complete extra majors or minors. (See Undergraduate General Policies.) Doing so can allow you to fulfill more in a shorter time frame. I am a BFA Acting Major with a double minor in Creative Writing and Psychology who intends to graduate in four years and potentially go abroad for a semester. A lot, I know, and a bit of a pipe dream to do it all, but that’s where overloading comes in. 

I am a second-semester sophomore and have been overloaded for both of my sophomore semesters and I am looking at overloading for most of the semesters till I graduate. It can be stressful at times, but I’ve learned how to manage my time and course load while remaining involved in extracurriculars and taking care of myself. 

Balancing your schedule

I think the best thing I did this semester was give myself ‘busy’ days and ‘not busy’ days. To be fair, this hinges on when the classes you want to take are being offered, but by doing this I give myself time to decompress and do work, or extracurriculars. Currently, I have five classes on Mondays, four on Wednesdays, and two on Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I only have one class, and it is earlier in the day, giving me time afterward to complete my work study, do homework, and rest. By blocking my time like this I give myself an ‘on’ day and an ‘off’ day so I don’t overwhelm myself. 

Balancing workload

I’m a little overambitious at times so it’s good to remind myself to slow down. I am on the Arcadia Theatre Marketing Team and run the “Yes, And” podcast through it. I started off very ambitiously doing a podcast a week, which I quickly realized was too much. We’ve since altered my schedule, and now I release an episode every few weeks instead. Similarly, I plan ahead in my classes. Sometimes there will come an extra busy week with lots of projects, essays, and tests; looking ahead, I can plan the rest of my life accordingly to accommodate that workload. Getting ahead on homework also helps a lot. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for help or take a break. I strongly advise making friends in your classes or taking classes with your friends. It is incredibly helpful to have an ‘accountability buddy’ to remind you of an assignment or bounce questions off of and study with. I’m lucky enough to live with three other theatre majors who are supportive and understand busy schedules. Taking a break and hanging out with your friends, taking some ‘me’ time, or doing something that relaxes you/makes you happy is so important. College doesn’t last forever and you want good memories to remember it by, not memories of being bent over your laptop for four years. Don’t be afraid to ask your teachers or advisors for help either. Asking for clarification, going in during office hours, and sometimes even asking for an extension are little things that can make balancing that heavy of a workload easier. Before spring break, I asked my teacher (who happens to also be my advisor) for an extension on an essay, which relieved a lot of pressure on an already busy midterm week. Your teachers are there to help you learn, not stress you out. 

Overloading can be a lot, and be intimidating, but if you learn how to take care of yourself and make it work for you it can be a way to accomplish a lot more than what you originally thought was possible in your college career.