I’m a sophomore now at one of the top 5 liberal arts colleges and I’m sick and tired of everything. I get so much work in my classes that I almost have no free time. I get so much homework that I have work on Friday afternoons and usually most of the day on Saturday if I want to go to parties on Friday and Saturday nights. I have friends, but I only get to see them when we all meet up for dinner each day and sometimes I see one of my best friends at lunchtime. I have a girlfriend and she’s great and everything, but we definitely don’t get to spend as much time together as we’d like to because we both have so much work. Sometimes we do work in the same room, but we don’t cuddle then or talk to avoid distracting each other. We only take like 15-30 minute talking/cuddling/making out breaks. We usually go out on a date ever other weekend, but usually we both have to do work in the morning if we go on a date in the afternoon. The only extracurricular thing I do is tutor French and German and while I like seeing people do better on tests and other assignments, it always feels like more work. There aren’t any clubs or activities that I’m really interested in doing. I don’t even get to work out as much as I’d like to because of how much homework I get. I’m so tired of just doing work all the time and I don’t know what to do. One of my classes assigns 200 pages of reading, and even though I like the subject, reading that much for the class is making me feel like I never want to see another book in my life. I have no days to myself and it’s driving me crazy, but at the same time I’m shooting to get no grade below A- this semester because I want to get into a good law school, which will enable me to get a job at a fancy law firm and make good money. I just don’t know what to do. There are days when I’m so attempted to not do assignments.
College is tiring, there’s almost no way around it if you want to excel and go on to law school after undergraduate school. It’s often not a lot of fun, contrary to how it is portrayed in movies and in a lot of people’s fantasies about college life. You do have to plan your fun like everything else. Maybe you can look at your schedule and figure out where you can inject some fun moments. A coffee or ice cream with your girlfriend, a TV show, whatever you enjoy. You also can get exercise by taking a study break walk or jog. It doesn’t have to be an epic journey to the gym.
The opportunity to study for a few years as your focus in life, to move toward being able to have a professional career and make a good living, is really a special privilege. You’ve already made it through one year. Someday you’ll realize just how short four years of your life is really. Hang in there, you can do this.
Are you sure law is for you? I was struck by your phrase “make good money.” Think about what will make you happy in life. Can you take a class pass/fail to relieve a bit of pressure? If you are at one of the very top LACs, you must have known what you were getting into. They admitted you because they were sure you could handle the work. The good thing about most LACs is that there are pretty regular breaks. You don’t mention what last year was like, but I assume it was manageable, or you wouldn’t have come back. Just keep at it until the break. Meanwhile, see your academic advisor to be sure you are on the best track for you. And have faith that this current work load might ease up a little.
The upside of LACs is the small class sizes and the lively class discussions that can ensue. The downside is that small class sizes mean you have to be prepared for every class, do the reading and homework - not a lot of room for slacking. An idea may be for you to try and balance your classes a bit. If you have 4 classes, don’t take 4 reading intensive classes at the same time - perhaps break it up with a math or something that won’t have 200 page reading assignments. And while you do need to do the reading, there may be some times when a good skim will get you where you need to be. As for working out - try and make that a priority - it can make you feel a whole lot better.
Consider if you are in the right major if you have to work that hard just to keep up. And consider if law school is really want you want. College level work should be hard, but it should not be taking over almost every minute of every weekend.
For me, Law School was MUCH more work intensive and reading intensive than undergrad, just another thing to consider.
My daughter is also at a top school, although a larger university. But I will tell you the same thing I tell her – there is plenty of help around you, so seek it out if you need it. If you feel overwhelmed, go talk to a counselor. If you’re struggling in a class, get a tutor right away. I worry that one of the problems in these top schools is that everyone is very smart and is used to exceling and often times students hesitate to seek out a tutor. There is no shame in that and it’s not a statement on ability. If you’re struggling with the reading, maybe if you seek out a general tutor they could help you with reading comprehension tricks. My daughter has a genius level IQ but is a slow reader. She went to seek help about it and the university gave her a program that you can install on your computer that will read aloud along with a textbook on your computer. They told her it forces you to read faster. Also, I took her to the eye doctor and she needed glasses at 18. You never know. If you’re struggling with reading, consider if maybe there’s a solution that would help that. Lastly, for any stress you feel, try to find time to exercise. That is enormously helpful. I know you probably feel you don’t have time for it. But the investment of 20 min a day of running or working out at the gym might relieve your stress level enough to make your other hours more productive and efficient. In any event, hang in there! It’s hard for everyone and many students feel this stress, but you sound like a great kid so believe in yourself 
I find your post very interesting and I see it in a different light than the previous posters. I think your thoughts are valid. For me, it brings to mind the Millennials in the work place and how they are choosing to live their lives. The message they are sending is that they want quality of life, life experiences, personal lives and have no intention of working their lives away the way my generation and our parent’s generation has.
They take their vacations, leave the office on time rather than working late, seek jobs with flex time and work from home options. Many don’t want to be tied down by owning cars or big houses. They want dress casual work environments and often times older managers and co-workers feel they don’t work as hard as they would like or as they do or did when they were trying to rise in their careers.
My interpretation is that you are feeling the same way. I get it. Honestly, I think what high school and college kids do now is way more than students in previous generations did. Technology has made it possible to require more and each generation is having the student bar raised higher and higher. Maybe this practice is why the work force is changing in terms of what they will and won’t do?
I think its great to go to a “top school” and to work hard but I hear you. You want to enjoy the experience and have a quality of life. I think its important to remember that its a journey rather than wind sprints. I’m not sure the requirements these days are treating education as a journey and a full experience. I am wondering if it will change for students the way the work place is changing.
I can only hope you will have the quality of life you are seeking at some point - nothing wrong with wanting it. There has to be a balance.
I’m not sure that the “all work all the time” is necessarily going to end anytime soon if you plan to pursue law and “make good money”. Law school is another 3-year grind, and then working your butt off at some law office to move up the food chain will take long days and weekends. Getting paid decently for constantly giving up breathing room in you life may not make you feel much better about it - only you will know.
One thing I have done if/when my kids are stressed about school or their packed schedules is squeeze in some volunteer time. It doesn’t have to be a multi hour event. Stopping by for a shift at the food bank or resale shop or best buddies tutoring is a good way to recharge the batteries. Interacting with those less fortunate or that have had less opportunity in life or aptitude deficiencies quietly resets your perspective.