
This year will be my 7th burn, but my first trying to balance a full-time school schedule with my week on the playa (this year Burning Man overlaps exactly with the first week of the fall semester at my school). My class load is likely to be fairly heavy (Integrative Physiology major), but the burn has been such an integral part of my life and my yearly ritual of renewal that I am determined to make it work somehow. Likewise, my roommate (a playa virgin) is in school for microbiology and will have a ridiculous class load of upper division courses but is searching for a way to make Burning Man a feasible part of his year. I know he would have a life-changing experience at the burn, but I don't want to push him to go if it is going to derail him. Many of my friends have worked out the details with their professors ahead of time and stayed on top of their classes, and I've even met med school students who managed to make it to the playa for some playtime, so I know it can be done.
Does anyone out there have any advice or have any insight based on your own experiences trying to balance school and Burning Man? What process would you/have you followed to take care of school before/after/while you are on the playa? Did you feel like it was a good decision or did it overwhelm your ability to excel in your classes? How did it affect your enjoyment of the burn (did you shorten your week to compensate?)? How did you do in school upon returning to the default world? Where would you draw the line and make the sacrifice of missing the burn to devote yourself fully to your education? All thoughts, observations, experience and opinions are welcome; I would really love to know what you all have to say on this subject, and I'm sure there are others who could benefit from this discussion.
Thank you!
Love and light <3
Mylia