What does a day in the life of a university student entail? What sorts of things will you be doing on a daily basis? What extra work can you do to make sure you are going above and beyond in reaching your potential? Everyone has a different daily routine once they settle into student life because approaches vary in how successful they are for the individual. For me personally, I find a similar daily routine can be a lot of use.
My day begins pretty much as soon as I wake up. I find it useful to do some simple brain training exercises in the morning over breakfast to help me keep my strategising up to scratch. Some useful apps for this are Lumosity (a range of brain games every day) Duolingo (to learn a few new words in a different language) and the New York Times’ crossword. Having something to eat whilst I do all of this is also a really great way to start the day as some fruit or pancakes always leave me feeling ready to take on the world. The 9am lectures feel much easier for it!
Usually I have around 3 hours of class a day, including one hour of lecture and two hours’ worth of seminar. Whilst the content always varies, my aim upon going into a class is to learn at least one new thing that day. By doing this I am always able to find something interesting to connect to my research or to develop my thoughts on a tricky topic which I didn’t know too much on before. Seminars are definitely my favourite of the two as I always end up learning so much more from my peers in this discussion/debate environment. I also make sure that I am part of the conversation by contributing any new ideas I come up with and noting down the things exchanged around me.
After or between classes I will do a mixture of things. As an extrovert, I recharge super easily by being around others so I can often mix work with play. Me and my friends will often meet up in the library or for lunch to work on our essays and to revise notes with one another, mixing the academic with the casual. Because we do this, it often doesn’t feel like we are working at all because the learning is much more approachable and fun! This is especially useful when a topic is hard or during deadline season when we are procrastinating. We are one another’s cheer team.
The most important thing to notice about my daily routine as a student is that there is balance. For everyone I have spoken to in any education environment, the thing that is most apparent is that having a mixture of things going on, from sports to study, is the best way to be successful in achieving your goals. Work independently, work with friends, but most importantly work to find the balance that works best for you and utilise it to achieve the unachievable.
If you’re destined to start your university journey this September, take a look at these First Year Tips.
Written by Charlotte Stevenson
