Hey guys!

I am a non-traditional senior in ChemE, I have about 2 years left. I am still having issues however trying to find a balance between studying and doing literally anything outside of a book.

I studied so much last semester that I literally had my parents coming into the room and tell me I need to stop because it’s unhealthy, which I don’t disagree with (I put in probably 45-50 hours a week). I worked one day a week at a part time job for 8 hours outside of that. I never hang out with friends outside of study groups, no gym, no dating, no movies, no trips, no once a month bar ventures, and I can’t even unwind with a little weed because of internship/drug test paranoia. nothing.

My schedule was out of class, and then in a book until 9pm daily drilling problems. I’d go to sleep at 9ish, wake up around 7 and study more a bit before class, go to class, get out of class and repeat the cycle. I finished the last semester with B-C grades.

I’m a pretty social guy, people make me happy. This self isolation I’ve been forcing myself into is mentally taking its toll. I’m forgetting how to just talk to people and be normal when I am around them, all I can reference is school related stuff because that’s all I subject myself to.

I’m also finding myself becoming slightly angry, I think it’s because I feel like I can’t balance course loads. It’s just non-existent. I’d love to date someone, but no one would put up with a schedule like this. I mean I sure as heck wouldn’t if I had options between dating someone like this and someone else. However with all that effort and B-C grades, any less I feel like I might fail.

Any tips guys? Is this just the nature of the beast and I have to continue sucking it up?