This week I wanted to try something different, taking you through the DITL of a grad student. To help you understand what it’s like to be a full-time graduate student. Your campus and program will differ, but this is how l live.
Wake up
Now, normally I wake up a 7:15 AM, which gives me about an hour to get ready and get out of the house to catch my bus that comes at 8:30 AM. Today I messed up my alarm, and I didn’t wake up until 8:15 AM. Good thing the class is at 9:30. Carolina is a huge public transportation campus because of the terrible parking but there are a few ways around it.
Like any typical student that attends a university, you must adapt. While of course, I was frustrated, this wasn’t the first bus I missed. So, I did what any college student would and stayed in bed for another unknown number of minutes until the last minute. I needed to get up, get dressed, and get out of the house.
Commute
Like I said I normally commute by bus and I’m lucky to have a bus that comes directly to the apartment. However, that same bus only comes once an hour on the half hour. So, to not be late to class I set out to find parking. Many campuses, Carolina included, have to navigate bus, student, scooter, bike, and car traffic. I’ve learned what streets and times to avoid.
Class 1
I was able to make it to class on time, my first 3-hour class of the week. This is the first time I’ve ever had to be in a class this long since maybe elementary school and the topics are much more complex.
This class is a master’s level seminar in persuasion and influence. A very interesting topic and practice for a communications professional. During our 10-minute break, I go to Campus Y and grab some of the best coffee on campus. I also eat a snack in my lunchbox, I cannot recommend this enough for grad students or anyone that lives off campus. Save some money and pack some snacks.
Work
I spend the hour and a half between classes at work to catch up with my students and get any quick work done that I can. The beauty of working on campus is I can easily do that, but it can be difficult to separate work from school. Today there is free pizza at work so now I can save my lunch for dinner (the best when you work and are in school).
Group Meeting
In between work and class, I also had a quick group meeting for a different class. A lot of work for this semester is focused on group work so I spend a lot of time in between groups and meetings around our clients.
Class 2
My second class is a lot shorter than the first, at just an hour and a half. This class is a social marketing campaigns class with a cool client focused on high-risk drinking.
While I had my coffee, by this hour I’m tired and just trying to make it through the class
Work…again
To finish off my on-campus day I work again in the late afternoon. Today luckily, I don’t have a lot of work to do but it’s a lot of waiting on other people to do a task, emailing, and of course another meeting. I sometimes feel like as adults we meet for a living.
Commute
After work, I commute home, normally on the bus but today by car. Instead of going home, I decide to go to a local park to do homework, the weather is nice, and the sun is out so I don’t want to be stuck in my dark apartment. Once I’m home I eat some food, talk to my friends and family on the phone, and do some more work.
This day wasn’t as exciting as some of my other days like when I co-teach a class, or we go to the local bar for trivia. That’s the highs and lows of graduate school.