Bit worried about my brother - is this normal?

I can't even believe what some people are responding with. It is NOT healthy to constantly work 24/7 it does not do your health any good at all. He needs to have breaks every so often, spend time with his family and friends, get fresh air!

I know. I was surprised too!

If you want decent grades you have to put the work in, obviously you're not at a level where you need to even think about putting that amount of work in, or if you are, but you're not doing so, you my dear are likely to fail.

No i'm not at that level. And if everyone really does that much work at that level, then i don't want to be!

Yes, well. It's like this: If you love your subject of study, then you gladly put in the amount of work that's required to excel. It's actually no longer "work", if you like it. It's fun. Pure fun.

Also, you have to sacrifice things to get other things done. Because to get things done, you have to do them. And that takes time. Time you cannot spend with other things, because that takes away your focus, and your energy dissipates.

For a driven university student the first and foremost thing to sacrifice is a private life. If you have friends, family or even a romantic partner who just distract you (because they are incapable of understanding the dynamics of a successful academic career) then there's no other way than to reduce the amount of contact that you have with them. Sounds harsh, but it is a necessity. Otherwise you again just defocus and dissipate energy that you need elsewhere.

Also, you said that he goes to the gym and is otherwise physically active. I see no problems whatsoever.

That is a bit unfair but I am sure he will.

How is it unfair? He's got a grad scheme lined up, he knows he's at a good uni, and he's ensuring that he knows enough to do well rather than going, '**** it I'm going out' when clearly he needs to get on with his work.

Yes, I agree, he needs breaks every so often, but it's not unhealthy to focus on your education when you're at the peak. In fact if you weren't focusing on your education at that point then if I were an employer then I'd be really reluctant to hire you.

he will probably get further in life than you...

he will probably get further in life than you...

If you think this isn't normal...well...enjoy living in your box while he's laughing at you from his 16 bedroom mansion. :-)

yes because having no time for friends is a great way to live your life....

im not saying he shouldnt work but by the sound of things he's doing to much work

he needs to get out and have a drink and a relax for a day..

I can't even believe what some people are responding with. It is NOT healthy to constantly work 24/7 it does not do your health any good at all. He needs to have breaks every so often, spend time with his family and friends, get fresh air!

Don't you think you're overreacting slightly? It's just for a couple of months - he'll soon be done and then he can spend as much time relaxing with his friends and family as he likes. A couple of months of sacrifice isn't ridiculous when you bear in mind that the grade you get in your degree will have a significant effect on the rest of your life.

No I don't think I'm Overreacting at all because I think that your own mental health is far more important than any degree. You need to have fun and rest and recuperation for your mind to be healthy and working well, it's not right to be cooped up staring at books and computer screens all day. You need a balance all the time, it's not healthy to go from one extreme to another, when I was seeing a counsellor she said burnt out students are becoming more and more common and the effort that they have to go to to get back on track is unbelievable. It's better to have a healthy life.