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Can you tell me about your typical day in college?

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Lauren’s Answer

Similar to what others have listed above, a typical college day will depend on your course schedule, if you are involved in organizations that require you to attend meetings, if you work, are you a student-athlete, and how much studying/homework do you need to get done that day. I'd definitely recommend using your syllabus and aim to plan ahead prior to starting your week based on what your schedule might look like. Then alter it as the week goes on if something comes up. Overall, I think a typical college day will vary depending on how much you're willing to apply yourself, what you want to accomplish in college from a goals standpoint, and how much you're able to handle. Below I've provided two example of what my college schedule was like in the 2 years I was a student-athlete and then in the 2 years I was not a non-student athlete, but still very involved in organizations/campus life in order to provide different perspectives.

Example 1 - Student-Athlete: Wake up at 6am, classes back to back from 8am to 11:00am, practice from 11am-1:30pm, lunch from 1:30pm-1:50pm, class from 2pm to 3:15pm, team meetings/professor office hours from 3:30pm-4:45pm, dinner from 5pm-6pm, library from 6pm-9pm, at home studying if needed from 9pm-10:30pm.

Example 2 - Non Student-Athlete: Wake up at 7am, campus tutoring job from 8am to 11:30am, lunch from 11:30 to 12pm, classes back to back from 12pm to 3:00pm, library from 3:15pm to 4, meetings from 4pm-5:30pm, dinner from 5:30pm-5:50pm, campus sports job from 6pm-9pm, at home studying from 9pm-11:30pm.

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Kiersten’s Answer

One of the great things about college is that you have a lot of flexibility to arrange your day the way you like it. While many of the previous respondents here mention liking to get all their classes out of the way in the mornings, I put a lot of priority on being able to get enough sleep - and since my friends would often hang out till late in the evening, that tended to mean sleeping in. I managed to never take a class earlier than 8:30, and most of the time I had my first class at 9:30 or 10, and woke up between 8 and 9. I preferred to study between classes rather than after classes, so I scheduled classes throughout the day, and usually ended somewhere between 3 and 5 (although two semesters I had classes that went till 7:30!). It varied a lot by semester, though - once I did end by 1pm every day, and I liked that. Another time, I only had Tue/Thu classes, and I liked that, too. There are a lot of different ways you can arrange your schedule - though there are some limits in what classes are offered when. It can be helpful to have one or two top priorities that you really take seriously (e.g. when your day starts, when it ends, how far apart your class times are, having most classes on thte same days vs evenly spread out, etc.) and then consider other things as more of a bonus. For me, for instance, the top priorities were not starting early and having good professors, and I tried to end earlier or have a day off if possible.

One specific thing I didn't realize earlier on in high school is that college class schedules are very, very different from high school schedules. A typical courseload is only about 15 hours of classes a week - typically 5 classes that meet 3 hours per week. If that was spread out evenly, I would have 3 Mon/Wed/Fri classes for an hour each, and two Tue/Thu classes for an hour and a half each. If I took a lab class, that would be 2-3 extra hours each week. But you spend most of your time studying, socializing, or otherwise doing your own thing, which gives you a lot of room to use your time in the way that works for you.
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Yasemin’s Answer

Hello! For me as many other students, my college schedule was always changing! For example a couple semesters I had Fridays off whereas for other semesters especially for Organic Chemistry lab I would have an early Friday class like 8 am. I would also work during college so much of my schedule was centered around my work schedule. I remember I would have pre-calculus from 9:30-11:15 then I would have a short break and go to work around 11:30. Thankfully it was on campus so the commute would be short! I remember one lab would be from 12 to 4 on Fridays and I would have work at a local diner at 5 so sometimes I would cut short and have to rush to work. However, there were also many times where I would have free time as well, and I would spend this time in the library studying or finding time to the go to the gym. I think each semester and year does change, my freshmen year was the most simple whereas my classes became more advanced junior year and along with work my schedule was more tight. It's very important to balance certain aspects out in college, like classes/studying, working and spending time with friends!

Hope this helps!
Best of luck!
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Carlos’s Answer

Your schedule will vary by semester. At the beginning of your college career you will have more flexibility as classes are more general, but as you advance, class times might become more limited.

I personally liked to schedule classes with 30 minutes in between them to allow me to "change gears", mentally. I tried to keep my classes to the mornings as that is when I felt the most alert, attentive, and receptive. I tried to reserve my afternoons to doing homework so I could hang out with friends or relax in the evenings.

Finding the balance between responsibility and relaxation is hard at first but it gets better as you learn your own pace. The trick is to organize yourself to a schedule that works for you and stick to it! Make a calendar with all your assignments, build yourself an agenda for the week, and try to keep up with your schedule. Good luck!
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Suzie’s Answer

My schedule would vary semester to semester based on the classes that were offered. At the school I attended freshman took standard math, science and humanities classes. Classes were Monday through Friday between 9 and 5 pm. Roughly 4 to 5 hours of class per day. I was also an athlete, I played basketball so 5 pm to 7 pm was practice . I learned to get a good study group to work on problem sets in the evenings. Once I started taking classes in my discipline there was less flexibility in class times. You learn how to adapt your schedule to other activities you have going on. I hope this helps !!
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Simeon’s Answer

In college, I would schedule my classes back to back in the mornings after an early breakfast, go to lunch, and then I would go to the libraries or a part of the dorms and catch up on my homework. I tend to get anxious about items sitting on my to-do list, so I would bunch up my classes and focus on knocking out my to-do list as quickly as possible. That way, I could sit down and enjoy my free time without having to worry about what tasks were outstanding. Plus, I was much freer to socialize in the evenings since my work was usually taken care of.
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Fernando’s Answer

My college life was straightforward. Keeping track of time and where in the campus my next class was, and how long would it take me to walk there. The other part was talking and making friends with new people. When it came to managing homework and other projects I always made sure to stay ahead of schedule. Once you hit your second semester you start to notice how quickly work can pile up, so it's important avoid procrastination.
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Cameron’s Answer

My schedule in college varied daily, but generally, I would wake up around 8:30/9 am, attend 1-2 lectures, take a break for lunch, then attend 1-2 more lectures. I would typically be done with classes by 3 or 4 pm, then head to the library to work on some homework before dinner. After dinner, if I still had work to do, I would return to either the library or my dorm room. Otherwise, I would hang out with friends and end the night relaxing with them!
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N’s Answer

A college day is different for every student, and it all depends on the schedule of classes you chose. You could have your classes in the morning, or mainly in the afternoon or a mix of both. So every day may have a different schedule. But outside of class, you will probably find yourself spending time in coffee shops studying/working or a library if that is your preference. You can also use the extra time to socialize with your friends, grab lunch/dinner and just live the normal life you live now :)
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