A day in the life of a Creative Writing student
“8:00 am: I like to take my time waking up before my lectures, and I usually make room for some yoga or a cardio workout after I’ve done some reading in bed. Then I’ll make myself some breakfast, get dressed and head out for my morning lecture. If I’m having a bad day I like to grab a pastry from the Sainsburys near the university (the almond croissants are the best!!).
10:20am: I arrive a little early for my lecture so I have time to get a drink or meet some of my friends. The lectures usually introduce the text for the week as well as they key points we may dip further into during our seminars. I like to make notes on my laptop but I do have a notebook for doodling so I can keep my hands busy while I’m concentrating- I find it really helps focus, even if I’m just repeatedly drawing pictures of trees everywhere!
11:00pm: I have my seminar. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming having everything so close together, but I make sure I am hydrated and have had a snack during the break so that I can come to the seminar prepared. I also like to do my reading in advance so I don’t have to rush through the work with 15 minutes to spare. This definitely helps me to feel prepared during discussions and allows me to have lots of things to say.
13:30pm: I love having lunch at the canteen, mostly because the jacket potatoes are to die for (I recommend the cheese and tuna combination) and this is my time to take a break from work, chat with friends, chill out and recharge. I try to make the most of these on busy days so that it’s easier to separate the work from the breaks.
17:00pm: I finish another seminar, and then it’s time to either go into town and pick up essentials that I need, or go home to rest. The switch off between work and home time can be really hard for me, so I try to change into something comfy and unpack my bags as soon as I get in so that I can transition to the rest part properly. I’ll do some pre reading by my window with a cup of tea and get everything prepared for the next day as soon as I can, and then I’ll use my Gousto subscription boxes to make a lovely dinner. I’ve found it somewhat difficult to cook while balancing other things, so these boxes are an enormous help and I’m eating so much better too.
18:30pm: If it’s a Monday, then it’s time for dead poets! I get an uber back to university for accessibility and spend some time setting up the session. I absolutely love being on the committee for such an amazing society and we always have so much fun with our community, doing lots of literature things!
21:00pm: The evening time I use for reading, cleaning my flat, taking a shower and having friends over. I also love to have a little video game session to calm me down; at the moment I’m playing lots of the Sims, Gwent and Fallout 4.
11:00pm: This is when I aim to be in bed and getting to sleep, although it varies based on what I have been doing that day, but I like to put a little lavender oil on my temples and wrists and do some calming meditation to get me in the right space to have a restful sleep.”
Amelie, Creative Writing and Literature
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