Undergraduate Blog / Defining Your Babson

Brian’s 168 Hours: School, Sleep, Sports, and Social

It is 7:00AM on Monday morning and my alarm is buzzing as I wonder where the weekend has gone – time for another week and I roll out of bed…hopefully recharged and ready to go.

A week at Babson is filled with 168 hours – to balance between academics, sleep, extracurricular/other activities, and a social life. While a week at Babson differs greatly from student to student, it seems everyone is trying to manage their time the best way possible to fit in everything that is important to them. I see each week as a chance to learn, grow, and take advantage of new and sometimes different opportunities. A typical week for me is filled with classes, athletics, meetings, time with friends, and working on other passions and interests.

By the time I finish breakfast Monday morning and head to class it’s already 8 hours down for the week. I then go to all my classes consecutively, eat lunch, and only have a couple hours to take care of meetings, catch up on work, or put in some time in my campus job as a Social Media Ambassador at Babson. From there it’s off to Cross Country or Track practice for a few hours followed by dinner, meetings, phone calls, and then some homework before trying to get a reasonable amount of sleep.

This routine continues for the next few days which may include meetings for the Weissman Scholars Program, Natalie Taylor Scholars Program, Seminar class for the Babson Honors Program, or non-profit work for Engeye – an organization in which I am involved throughout the year that supports health care, education and economic development in Uganda.

beaver 537164_10200605218637458_2064499325_n

The clock ticks and it’s finally Thursday night – I’ve survived another week of classes and after taking care of my primary responsibilities, I plan on taking a few hours to relax, hangout, and spend time with friends.  96 hours of the week already gone…but I still have 72 to go.  Most Babson students are able to arrange all their classes on Monday-Thursday leaving more flexibility for Fridays. I appreciate the fact that I do not have any classes on Friday because it allows me to catch a few extra hours of sleep before heading off to a meeting, maybe stopping by the Career Center, grabbing lunch, and then going to track practice. Friday nights are quiet on the Babson campus and many students use this as a chance to go to Boston – In season, I use this as an opportunity to get ready for my track meet the next morning and to get a good night’s rest.  When I am not in season, I may spend time on the weekend going to Boston, watching a performance at the Sorensen Arts Center, listening to a campus speaker or attending a campus event.

The 6:00AM alarm wakes me Saturday morning and my roommate and I slowly wake up and walk to the Webster Athletic Center to depart for an early competition while the rest of the campus is silent and sound asleep. I then spend the day competing in my Babson green and return to campus tired after a long day, just in time for dinner. After dinner I take a short rest and then I enjoy time spent with teammates and friends from across campus.  It is our night to stay up late and socialize after a week of work and responsibilities.

Sunday is the day when the morning starts later since brunch at Trim Dining Hall opens at 11:00AM. After brunch I realize I only have 12 hours left out of the week’s 168. Time to finish the week strong and complete any remaining homework, group projects, do some laundry, or work on other personal projects. Another feature is the ability to have occasional meals at Olin just for a change of menu and scenery. Babson also allows for cross enrollment for classes at nearby schools like Wellesley or Olin. After dinner it’s back to work. By the time I go to sleep the next week’s 168 hours has already begun and it’s time to focus on the new week ahead.

There are many ways of spending your time at Babson – it comes down to managing your time the best way possible and finding out what works best for you.  What’s your 168 at Babson? How do you spend your week? Hope to see admitted students from #Babson2018 at this year’s Babson168 Event!