Concept Brief
BeRealistic is a student-led campaign that sheds light on the challenges faced by college students balancing full-time work and academic demands. By amplifying real student experiences, the campaign questions outdated definitions of success and highlights the impact of overwork on well-being. It calls for a more empathetic, realistic understanding of what it means to succeed in college today.
Created in collaboration with Sydnee Simmons
Our Why
College students today are expected to meet rigorous academic demands while many simultaneously work full-time to afford the education they’re pursuing. Yet traditional definitions of success rarely account for this reality, leaving working students feeling invisible and burnt out.
The Be Realistic campaign was born from lived experience. As students who personally navigated the tension between work and academics, we saw a clear disconnect between the “ideal student” narrative and what college actually looks like for most people. Grounding that truth in data presented its own challenge — finding recent, relevant statistics on the impact of overwork on student well-being required significant research effort, underscoring just how underrepresented these experiences remain.
Our Approach
With the problem defined, we began building a solution — starting with the name and branding of Be Realistic. From there, we applied the “what-if” method to transform the conversation into something tangible: a physical experience rooted in storytelling, interaction, and practical tools that help students see their struggle not as a personal failure, but as a systemic issue.
Our Approach
With the problem defined, we began building a solution — starting with the name and branding of Be Realistic. From there, we applied the “what-if” method to transform the conversation into something tangible: a physical experience rooted in storytelling, interaction, and practical tools that help students see their struggle not as a personal failure, but as a systemic issue.
Our Approach
With the problem defined, we began building a solution — starting with the name and branding of Be Realistic. From there, we applied the “what-if” method to transform the conversation into something tangible: a physical experience rooted in storytelling, interaction, and practical tools that help students see their struggle not as a personal failure, but as a systemic issue.
Step-By-Step Poster Series
The Be Realistic campaign translates its message into a four-poster series that walks viewers through a complete journey — from recognizing the problem to taking action.
The first poster leads with emotion, using relatable phrases to capture the working student experience. The second grounds the campaign in data, reframing how working students see themselves and prompting them to sign a petition. The third shifts the energy toward action through Balance Workshops and student advocacy. The fourth closes the loop by mapping a clear, step-by-step path forward — making systemic change feel approachable and actionable.
Making It Visible
These banners bring the campaign into the heart of campus through a large-scale, impossible-to-ignore display. Hung in a high-traffic area, the three banners work together to confront students with a single, striking truth: that 25% of their peers identify as workers who attend school — not students who work.
The bold contrast, split figures, and repeated typography visually reinforce the dual identities working students carry every day. Rather than blending into the background, the banners reclaim physical space to disrupt the norm, prompt reflection, and shift the conversation from personal burnout to systemic reform.
Data Made Personal
The interactive sticker wall transforms a simple question — “How many hours do you work in a week?” — into a living, crowd-built data visualization. Students grab a color-coded sticker representing their class year and place it on the graph according to their weekly work hours, making their own reality visible while contributing to a growing picture of the larger pattern.
As stickers accumulate across the 10–35+ hour range, the display builds community awareness in real time, showing students that what they carry is not an individual burden but a shared, systemic experience. A QR code alongside the graph connects students to next steps — meetings, support, and ways to get involved in the movement.
Because Burnout Isn’t a Badge of Honor. It’s a Signal for Change.
These balance toolkit cards give students something tangible to walk away with from the workshops — practical, actionable guidance packaged in the campaign’s bold visual identity. Each card tackles a different dimension of the working student experience, covering boundary-setting, time management, mental health and self-care, and knowing your campus resources.
Rather than offering generic advice, every card provides three concrete steps students can apply immediately, paired with a grounding quote that reframes the struggle — “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” “Time isn’t found, it’s made,” “Support is a strength, not a shortcut,” “Rest is resistance.” Together, the cards function as a personal toolkit that reinforces the campaign’s core message: surviving the balance of work and school isn’t a personal failing — and there are real tools and people to help.
