Written by: Abdur Hayat
I am a first year Economics student and I would like to share with you what my typical day looks like.
Morning routine (9.00am – 10.00am)
I wake up at 9.00am, shower and pick out an outfit for the day. I then eat my breakfast in the kitchen which I share with 10 flatmates. Whilst eating my meal prepped breakfast, I check my university emails to make sure none of my classes have been cancelled and reply to any emails from academics.
Lecture and seminars (10.15am – 3.30pm)
I start my walk to the Business School, where most of my lectures and seminars take place. Walking through the famous Northumberland Street and busy city centre, I eventually arrive after an enjoyable 15-minute walk. My first lecture begins at 10.30am, so I have some time to quickly skim through the lecture slides to get myself in the zone. After the lecture I have a seminar right away.
Not sure about the difference between lectures and seminars? Let me help. In a lecture, my professor introduces new content to a large group (250-300 students). It is where I first learn the material.
Seminars, on the other hand, are smaller (25-30 students). In seminars I work on practice questions related to the lecture with my academic. It is a great chance to ask questions and make sure I understand everything.
After my seminar I typically have two hours until my last lecture. During this time, I make sure I did not miss anything from the earlier lecture and start doing some reading or complete problem sets to prepare for seminars later in the week. Finally, it is time to attend to last lecture of the day.
Downtime (3.30pm – 6.00pm)
Once I am back at my accommodation, I heat up my meal prepped lunch and catch up with my flatmates in the kitchen. On Sundays after my weekly shop at my local supermarket, I plan what I want to eat for the week and then start cooking all my meals for the upcoming week. This takes me around three hours to do, but saves me a lot of time during the week and stops me from getting a takeaway when I am feeling lazy. After my lunch I have some free time, which I use to nap, scroll social media, or watch some Netflix.
Gym (6.00pm – 8.30pm)
Now it is time to head to the University Sports Centre, which is a convenient five-minute walk. I spend most of my time in the gym and specialised strength training rooms, where I work out with my friends from the powerlifting and weightlifting club. The club holds training sessions throughout the week in the strength and conditioning rooms. I really enjoy these sessions as I get to socialise with friends and improve my lifting technique by taking advice from the coaches.
Night-time routine (8.30pm – 10.00pm)
After the gym I shower and eat dinner, and then check my timetable for the next day to make sure I have packed my bag with everything that I need. I usually have some time before I fall asleep, so I Facetime my family and speak to them for around half an hour. At this point, I am exhausted and ready to head to bed, which is what I do.