Architecture sophomore Beth Pearcy does not believe in free time. She is the human embodiment of the Energizer Bunny.

“If I have a random hour, I can always find something to do,” Pearcy said.

She prides herself on heavy campus involvement. She said her major takes up a lot of time, but she gives campus tours and is involved in her sorority, Sailing Club, Architecture Club and various Campus Activities Council events.

Pearcy isn’t like all OU students. Although some think it is crazy to stretch yourself so thin, she and students like her think it is crazy not to.

Pearcy said OU overwhelmed her at first, but once she decided to get involved it became her community.

“The more I get involved, the more I want to get involved,” Pearcy said.

Senior Brian Ray has the same mindset. He has tackled not one, but three majors in accounting, finance and energy management, and Wednesday he completed a successful run for Interfraternity Council President.

“I’ve always been really busy,” Ray said.

He is also a member of several different clubs on campus and co-founded University Investing, a student group that teaches others to invest wisely.

The organization started with only nine students, but has risen to 175 since last fall. Ray said he has had put it on the back burner for a while to focus on his campaign for the business seat of Student Congress.

Despite Ray’s busy schedule, he said he still manages to find plenty of free time after the sun goes down.

“If you get your stuff done during the day, then you have the night for yourself,” Ray said.

In Pearcy’s case, many people think they don’t have what it takes to keep up with her and survive. But instead of seeing involvement as a threat, she sees it more as a challenge.

“The more people told me I couldn’t, the more I wanted to,” she said.

Pearcy said many students think of the typical architecture student as a “hermit” who slaves away in a studio all night.

As it turns out, her busy schedule has been beneficial to her schoolwork.

Pearcy said her involvement has allowed her to meet many people. Through her experiences she has begun to understand people more, which has been helpful when it comes to designing spaces for them.

She said students who haven’t made an effort to get out there and socialize would have more difficulty creating logical structures, since they will have less knowledge about what people want.

Her extensive contact list continuously pays off for her, she said. She said she always knows someone who’s taken a class that she has, or someone who has had a professor she has.

“The more people I know, the easier school is,” Pearcy said

While Pearcy concentrates on contacts and networking, civil engineering sophomore Richard Day has narrowed his focus on academics.

Day said he is following the masters program for civil engineering, while simultaneously taking classes for mechanical and industrial engineering degrees.

He said he has a strong interest in all three subjects, and his indecisive nature has made it impossible for him to choose just one.

Day is also the Resident Student Association President for Adams Center, where he works close to 30 hours a week.

He said the workload is intense at times, but being involved always has been worth it. Pearcy agrees.

“Being involved is the No. 1 key to success in college,” she said.

She said she has met all kinds of people, and some of them have had a major impact on her life. When she feels overwhelmed, she said someone is always there for her to lean on.

Pearcy said she thinks students should snatch every opportunities, just to try it. She said it will help students grow and learn more about themselves.

“That’s what college is all about,” she said.