There are 168 hours in a week.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australians spend an average of 10 hours and 35 minutes a day on necessary things like sleeping, eating, personal care, health, and hygiene. That’s 74 hours a week.
An average of 3 hours and 30 minutes a day is spent on unpaid domestic work, childcare, adult care, and voluntary work. That’s 24 hours a week.
An average of 5 hours and 13 minutes is spent on social interactions, going out, watching TV, and other free time activities. That’s 36 hours a week. That works out to about 135 hours a week.
According to most universities, including Western, a student is recommended to spend an hour of study per credit point a week. For a 10-credit point subject, that’s 10 hours a week. For a full-time student with 4 subjects, that’s 40 hours a week.
Add it all up, and you’ll need an extra seven hours each week for full-time study, because you’re already short by seven hours – excluding any paid work hours.
Obviously, something has to give. One can’t expect to live a full time life as a full time student.
Still, we’re told to balance life, work, and study; we’re told to get fresh air, have fun and keep our mental health up; we’re told to work and volunteer and apply for placements and internships.
So, what do we sacrifice?
“I rarely go out with friends. It’s such a struggle to make plans with me.”
Issrae Barghachoun is 3 years into her 4-year Bachelor of Social Work at Western. She’s currently studying full time, is on university placement, works casually, and is trying to learn how to drive, which she says is all she has time for.
But it’s not just her social life that is struggling under the university workload. Like most students, Issrae must choose between sacrificing her social hours or work hours.
“Before placement, it was okay. A bit crazy, but alright. Now, it’s [placement] three to five days a week, and I’m not getting paid for it, so I have to work an extra day just to have income coming in.”
Adam Naboulsi, a second-year Bachelor of Medical Science student, says he has had to evaluate his priorities.
“I do have to sacrifice work or uni sometimes, but I usually prioritise uni, as that’s the foundation of my future. I usually sacrifice what isn’t important in the moment.”
“Sometimes I do feel guilty, knowing I could use some extra money, but I had to miss out to focus on my studies,” he added.
The cost of living, which is rapidly becoming the cost of surviving, doesn’t help matters. As well as his priorities, Adam has also had to evaluate his expenses.
“My biggest expenses are fuel, insurance, my gym membership, and uni parking. I’ve had to cancel my Netflix and other subscriptions.”
“I had a blue parking permit in my first year, but when it came down to it, I couldn’t afford it. I pay by the day now.”
An annual blue permit, which covers all campuses, is $349. For a daily rate at Parramatta South campus, students pay $12.50, while other campuses are $9.50. However, these rates are set to change this year.
Those on public transport don’t fare much better, with Transport NSW’s Trip Planner calculating a journey from Parramatta train station to East Richmond station, the closest station to Hawkesbury Campus, as $5.62 for a one-way adult fare.
Aside from financial concerns, both Issrae and Adam question the impact their schedules have on their health.
“It’s uni, then work, then uni. What, am I meant to have one day a week to myself?” Issrae asked.
“Balancing work, life, and uni does get difficult at times. Sometimes the load gets to me, and I push away my studies a bit. I make sure I get my assignments done by the deadline, but it affects when and how much I study,” Adam says.
“It’s really put stress on my sleep schedule.”
Perhaps we should all get a bonus bachelor’s degree in juggling when we graduate. Until then, the university offers student support services, which you can find here as well as external support services, here.
