By Davis McClure

To no one’s surprise, college students are often exhausted. But what’s the story behind the clutched energy drinks and baggy eyes staring vacantly in lectures?

Some of them await a night shift after class, while some never go to sleep the night before. Balancing work and school is a challenge many students face just to stay enrolled.

Many professors recommend three hours of studying outside of class per credit hour taken. But when students go straight from campus to their jobs, where can they find that extra time?

Katrina Charqueno, a University of Arkansas senior studying exercise science, works full-time as a driver for Razorback Transit.

Charqueno has spent her last four years finding a balance between work and school, but said she still has to make sacrifices to succeed.

“It’s hard because for some people, they work for spending money,” Charqueno said. “But for me, it’s survival. I don’t have a choice, I can’t not work.”

For many students who work and attend school, trying to make plans can feel like a pipe dream. Charqueno realized as soon as she started college that she would have to miss out on many social opportunities.

“I can’t afford to have an unproductive day,” Charqueno said. “If I do want to plan something, I have to strategically plan two weeks in advance, taking into account my deadlines and rent.”

For Charqueno, skipping class and missing an assignment isn’t just a minor setback but rather a domino effect that cuts into the time she already cannot afford.

Charqueno said one way she has learned to balance her schedule is by prioritizing her health.

“I learned the hard way that I have to get enough sleep in order to succeed,” Charqueno said. “My freshman year, I was working night shifts and had 8 a.m. classes every day. I was too tired to really focus, and it hurt my productivity.”

Charqueno said that being a student-worker has also posed a social barrier between her and her peers.

“People will come up to me and say I was their driver, but it’s never them wanting to be friends,” Charqueno said. “They interact with me like I’m an alien.”

She reflected on the opportunities she missed out on due to being clocked in.

“If I didn’t have to work throughout college, I would’ve joined clubs and intramural sports like I did in high school,” Charqueno said. “I just cannot physically make time to balance it all.”

Jamie Davis, a U of A freshman landscape architecture major, said she has to sacrifice sleep in order to succeed in school while also working a part-time job.

“Being here has forced me to work on my time management skills, especially if I want to have any form of a social life,” Davis said.

Davis said she often has to give up sleep in order to stay on track with her assignments.

“In architecture, you don’t really sleep in the first place,” Davis said. “Add a part-time job and other courses on top of that, and that’s where the all-nighters come into play.”

Davis said she has learned many lessons in her first semester of college.

“I’ve had to learn to let go of perfectionism in order to get all of my work done on time,” Davis said.

For some students, working on campus can help alleviate the stress. Ariete Rodrigues, a U of A senior biomedical engineering major, works as a connections desk ambassador at the Student Success Center on campus.

Rodrigues said working for the U of A has helped her balance work and school.

“It’s always encouraged to put my education first before my job,” Rodrigues said. “I’m allowed to do my homework when it’s slow, which helps me stay on track when I do have to work.”

Rodrigues said staying organized is the key to balancing work and school.

“I use Google Calendar in order to keep my school and social life organized,” Rodrigues said. “Having everything in one place makes my life so much easier.”

A calendar won’t add hours to the day, but it can help students visualize the time they actually have.

Rodrigues emphasized the harmony of having an on-campus job.

“I’m able to work more because I cut commuting time altogether,”she said. “It streamlines my day and makes working feasible.”

Sharing similar sentiments with Charqueno, Rodrigues said she also felt awkward when she began working for the U of A.

“When I saw my classmates while at work, it was hard to overcome the awkwardness,” Rodrigues said. “Eventually I got used to it, and it never crosses my mind anymore.”

Rodrigues said that although she has a rhythm down, when exams are near, she can get overwhelmed with maintaining her responsibilities. Even with a rhythm down, the pressure of exams is enough to test that balance.

There is no cheat code to submitting work before 11:59 p.m.; there is only what each student is willing to give up.