Title: Is engineering college life supposed to be this exhausting? How do people manage college, DSA, ML, and still build skills?
I genuinely need some advice from people who have been through this, because I'm honestly struggling right now.
I'm an engineering student at a tier-3 college, and one of my biggest frustrations is how difficult it feels to build skills outside college while keeping up with everything college demands from us.
I know engineering isn't difficult for everyone. Some people manage everything really well, and maybe they have better study habits or time management than I do. But for students like me, who joined a tier-3 college with bigger ambitions and genuinely want to do something meaningful in life, this whole system can feel incredibly exhausting.
The problem isn't that I don't want to study. I genuinely do.
I'm interested in Machine Learning, and I want to learn through courses, build real-world projects, improve my DSA, and eventually get a good internship. I don't want to graduate with just a degree and nothing else to show for it.
But then there's college.
The teaching quality in my college is honestly disappointing. Many times, I feel like I could understand a topic much better through YouTube or ChatGPT than through the actual lectures. I know I shouldn't completely blame the teachers, but it's genuinely difficult to stay interested when the concepts aren't explained clearly or engagingly.
And because of that, I often lose interest during lectures. I start thinking, "I'd learn this so much better at home if I could just use those hours productively."
But here's the catch: attendance is extremely strict, and we have to maintain 85%.
So even when I feel like I'm not learning much in class, I still have to be there.
On top of that, there's a constant cycle of assignments, lab sessions, lab records, viva questions, quizzes, tests, internals, and exams. It feels like there's always something pending. Almost every day, there's a lab or some other academic responsibility that demands time and energy.
By the time I get home, I'm mentally exhausted. And then I'm supposed to study college subjects, practise DSA, continue my ML courses, work on projects, and somehow stay consistent with everything.
How?
My first year went by, and I feel like I haven't made as much progress on my skills as I wanted to. Now I'm in my second year, and I'm scared that the same thing will happen again.
What makes it even harder is seeing people in my own class who seem to manage everything effortlessly.
There's this topper in my class who gets excellent CGPAs, listens attentively during lectures, seems to understand things well, and still manages to build skills outside the curriculum.
And honestly, I'm insecure about it.
I'm not saying he doesn't work hard. He probably does, and I respect that. But I keep wondering what he's doing differently.
Does he have better concentration? Does he study more efficiently? Does he have a better routine? Does he actually enjoy the subjects I'm struggling to stay interested in? How does he manage his time and energy?
I keep comparing myself to him, and it makes me feel like I'm falling behind, even though I know everyone's circumstances are different.
The frustrating part is that I DO study. I try to learn things. I have goals. I want to improve. But the results don't seem proportional to the effort I'm putting in, and I'm constantly tired.
I see people maintaining 9.5+ CGPAs while learning programming, building projects, and preparing for internships. Meanwhile, I'm struggling to balance college itself with the skills I want to develop.
I don't want to blame everything on my college or make excuses for myself. I genuinely want to improve my discipline and become better at managing my time. But I also feel that constantly being occupied with mandatory college activities leaves very little room for the things that could actually help me grow professionally.
So, I want to ask a few things:
For those of you who studied at tier-3 colleges with strict attendance policies and mediocre teaching, how did you manage to build skills outside the curriculum?
If you're someone who maintains a high CGPA while learning DSA, ML, or other technical skills, what does your actual daily routine look like? How many hours do you realistically spend on each?
How do you stay productive after spending 8–10 hours at college and travelling, especially when you're mentally exhausted?
What do you do when lectures aren't helping you learn, but attendance requirements mean you can't use that time freely?
For people who were average students or struggled with consistency initially, what genuinely helped you improve?
And to the people who seem to manage everything: what am I missing? Is it time management, discipline, study techniques, or am I simply trying to do too many things at once?
I'm not looking for generic advice like "wake up at 5 AM," "work harder," or "just be consistent." I want to hear from people who've actually dealt with this situation.
I want to build a career, develop real skills, and do well academically without feeling exhausted and guilty all the time.
I know I have room to improve, and I'm willing to put in the work. I just need to figure out how to do it sustainably.
If you've been in a similar situation, I'd genuinely appreciate hearing what worked for you.
