Let's be honest: one of the most exciting — and daunting — parts of coming to college is the endless opportunities. The fear of choosing between your academic passions and a vibrant campus life is real. I remember wondering how to balance my love for science and painting with my drive for team and community involvement.

That search for balance defined my path at Rice. My curiosity about life's big questions led me to a dual degree in Biochemistry and Psychology with a Spanish minor, but I was equally determined to make club volleyball, student leadership, and spontaneous salsa or swing dancing nights non-negotiable parts of my life.

The great news? At Rice, you don't have to choose. The university's curriculum is designed for explorers, allowing me to fulfill requirements with fascinating classes like Medical Professions (completely in Spanish) and Entrepreneurship. This flexibility ensures I build a well-rounded education without sacrificing depth in my majors.

My Strategy for Doing It All (Without Burning Out)

A supportive curriculum gives you the opportunity, but it doesn't magically create the time. So, how do you actually do it all without burning out? Here’s my strategy:

1. Ditch the Digital Calendar: My entire life is organized in a paper planner. I know, we live in a digital world with Google calendar, but there's something powerful about physically writing everything down. I color-code events, draw big stars for deadlines, and scribble notes for goals or fun facts. This helps me visually prioritize my mental energy.

2. Master the Study Split: My second key strategy is knowing when to study with friends and when to study without. Mastering this difference is crucial for a good relationship with academics. For collaborative work, we’ll camp out in a study room at Fondren Library, set timers for focused work sprints, and take breaks to laugh or grab coffee at Chaus. We turn physics problems or organic chemistry mechanisms into a whiteboard game, racing to solve them fastest. For my most focused learning, I reallocate to the quiet of my room. Separating lighthearted group tasks from deep focus time does a great deal for my overall balance.

3. The Overwhelm Remedy: When the to-dos from classes, being club volleyball captain, and my roles as vice president of two other clubs start to feel like too much, I have a simple remedy: I make a list. I write down everything, assign priorities based solely on due date and importance, and tackle them in that order. This system prevents procrastination, ensures I get things done early, and — most importantly — protects my evening time for swing dancing or karaoke with friends.

4. Community Is Crucial: The final, and most important, ingredient to my strategy is the people here. You might expect a top-tier university to have a fiercely competitive atmosphere, but the culture at Rice is profoundly collaborative. I have never been in a class where someone wasn't willing to help me understand a concept. At Rice, everyone truly values learning. I'm lucky to have peers as excited to learn topics outside their major as I am. I know chemical engineering majors who are also composers, and astrophysics majors learning ancient Greek; we're all here to learn, grow and support each other. It’s a privilege to be in a community among the kindest, most collaborative people who will shape the future.

So, is taking Organic Chemistry II while juggling seven leadership positions a crazy battle? It can be a challenge, but it’s one I never face alone. With a little strategy, a lot of planning, and the incredible support of the Rice community, you don’t have to choose between your passions — you can pursue them all. Ready to explore? Which Rice opportunity would you make "non-negotiable?"

-Karlianna, Duncan ‘28 (Published on 12/2/25)