Special Edition: Life as a Second Semester Freshman


I'm back (a bit of surprise, I'm sure) for a special edition of Getting In and Beyond! For those who do not know, I started college in late August of 2018 and am currently getting through my spring semester of freshman year. While my fall semester was pretty light on academic commitments, I've committed to much more this semester. Thus, my days in college are pretty long and can get pretty hectic. If you're reading this before the end of April 2019, chances are I'm stressing out over getting work done, sitting in class, or getting a few hours of shut-eye. Here's a look at my weekly schedule this spring semester:

Monday
7 am: Wake up and morning routine
8 am: Eat breakfast (dining hall)
8:30 am: Commute to class
9 am: Sociology (class)
10 am - ~10:45 am: Break (turn in chem homework)
11 am: Chemistry (class)
12 pm: Russian Fairy Tales (class)
1 pm: Lunch
1:30 - 3 pm: Research at lab
3:30 - 4:15 pm: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant meeting
4:30 pm - 5:45 pm: TA duties during biology class lecture
~6:30 pm: Dinner (dining hall or in room)
7 pm - 12 am: Homework/studying, unwinding for the day

Tuesday
7:30 am: Wake up and morning routine
8:30 am: Eat breakfast (dining hall)
9 am: Commute to class
9:30 am: Biology (class)
11 am - 12 pm: Office Hours (TA duties)
~12:15 pm: Lunch
1 pm: Chemistry lab (class)
5 pm: First Experiences in Research (class; meets biweekly)
6 pm: Student National Pharmaceutical Association club meeting (meets once a month)
Sometime between 5 - 6:45 pm: Dinner (dining hall)
8 pm: Logistics Panel Meeting (club meeting; meets once a week)
9 pm: PDM General Body Meeting (club meeting, meets once a week)
Whenever I have free time after chem lab: work on chem lab report

Wednesday
7 am: Wake up and morning routine
8 am: Eat breakfast (dining hall)
8:30 am: Commute to first class of the day
9 am: Sociology (class)
10 am - ~10:45 am: Break (turn in chem lab report)
11 am: Chemistry (class)
12 pm: Russian Fairy Tales (class)
1 pm: Lunch
1:30 - 4 pm: Research at lab
4:30 pm - 5:45 pm: TA duties during biology class lecture
~6:30 pm: Dinner (dining hall or in room)
7 pm - 12 am: Homework/studying, unwinding for the day

Thursday
7:30 am: Wake up and morning routine
8:30 am: Eat breakfast (dining hall)
9 am: Commute to class
9:30 am: Biology (class)
~11 am: Lunch
12 pm: Biology lab (class)
3:30 pm - 5 pm: Research at lab
5:15 pm: Head back to the dorms/dinner (dining hall or in room)
6 pm - 11 pm-ish: study, unwind

Friday
6:30 am: Wake up, morning routine, eat breakfast (coffee is a must!)
7:30 am: Commute to class
8 am: Sociology recitation (class)
9 am: Russian Fairy Tales recitation (class)
10 am - 10:45 am: Break
11 am: Chemistry (class)
~12 pm: Lunch
1 pm: Biology recitation (class)
2 pm: Biology recitation (TA duties)
3 pm: Head back to dorms
3:30 pm - 5 pm: laundry (usually biweekly), study, unwind, etc.
5 pm: dinner (Dining hall)
6 pm - 12 am: study, plan ahead for weekend

Saturday and Sunday
Morning: Get up, morning routine (without an alarm, I usually sleep until 10am)
Sometime before 11:30am: eat brunch (dining hall)
Afternoon: study (either in room, in dorm, or at library), sometimes hang out with friends or other commitments
5pm: dinner (dining hall)
6pm - sometime late-ish: study, binge watch whatever TV show I'm on, FaceTime and/or call home on one of these days; on Sunday evenings I plan ahead for the week ahead.

Now that I think about it, I'm basically working a full-time job, and suddenly the reality sinks in that being a college student is kind of your full-time job. While I'm struggling through my packed days, I nonetheless enjoy it, because what's great about college is that you more or less end up learning what you want to learn as opposed to being prescribed classes, like what we've all experienced from kindergarten to the end of high school. And obviously, college is what you make of it. You don't have to schedule your classes the way I do, and you don't have to commit to things outside of your coursework, but I find that this semester has been a lot more enjoyable, even as it's been way more stressful. And of course, time-management is KEY. What an important skill to have!

I'm hoping to sporadically update you guys on what I'm up to in college, since I think I should fulfill the "and Beyond" part of this blog a bit more.

Lastly, for those in high school, I just want to say: college is really great, and I've never been more happy and personally and academically fulfilled than I have in college. I've thrived off of the independence I have in school, and I think you'll grow to love it to when you get to this point in your life.

As always, best of luck!

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 28, 2019 at 6:38 AM

    Mary!!!! How are you? I am starting to use this with my students. If you want, send me an emai land let me know how you are- I'd love to hear. Warmly, Ms. Dribin

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Accepting Rejection

Image
Everyone is confronted with rejection at some point in their lives. I underwent the classic college rejection in late January, when I got rejected from the most competitive school of the four I applied to. My initial reaction was one of shock. I had maybe anticipated I would manage to get in, but maybe not qualify for the highly competitive program I applied to. A flat-out rejection stung. I tried to forget about it, but I let it marinate over the weekend, and I would be lying if I said that self-doubt didn't cloud my brain. Was I not as good as I thought I was? What did they not like about me? Was it more about incompatibility or me being not qualified? The best thing I ever did was not let it ruin my life. I thought little of it after that weekend. I had already gotten into my top choice school, and I didn't let the rejection determine what I could or couldn't do. I didn't need to reevaluate my career choices or question my academic merit because I didn't get
Read more

Taking Care of Yourself

Image
Self-care, physically and mentally, is really important. Since early February is the beginning of the wait between ED/EA decisions and RD decisions, you have some time that you can use to focus on yourself. Here are tips to keep you healthy not only physically, but mentally as well. 1. Do things you love. Whether that's something strenuous as exercising or something as relaxed as listening to music, putting yourself in a stress-free zone is paramount in putting your mind at ease. Personally, I started to listen to more genres of music after submitting all my college applications, and discovering new music has always made my mind really happy and at ease. I also watched a lot of films in theaters, something I always wish I can do more. Catch up on a TV show you've been meaning to get to. Eat good food. Clean your room if you need to declutter. You deserve it. 2. Try something new that you've had to put on the back burner for so long. Whether that's picking up a ne
Read more

Peer Testimony: A Reflection on the Years-Long Journey

Image
Now that all of my peers are committed somewhere, I took the time to ask them what they thought of the college application process. I took the time to ask my friends Mallika, Amy, and Rachel about the college application process and to reflect on what they would or wouldn't have changed. 1. If you wouldn't mind sharing, where are you going this fall, and what are you planning on studying? Mallika : I'm going to the University of Maryland (College Park) to study Computer Science. Amy : I will be going to Carnegie Mellon University this fall for computer science. Rachel : I’m going to Ursinus College and I plan to major in Computer Science and minor in French, Peace and Social Justice Studies, and hopefully also Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies if it fits. 2. How did you handle the stress of college applications in your senior year, if you had any? M : For me, it only got very stressful around Christmas break, because I had to write a lot of college essays durin
Read more