A day in the life of a Journalism student

8.30am: I wake up and have a shower. I then have breakfast and head to university for my lecture starting at 10am. I like to get up early as it helps me to fully wake up and be present during my lectures, rather than just rolling out of bed 10 minutes before. Since I live only 5 minutes from campus, I set off at around 9.50am to be there on time.

10am: I arrive at my lecture. This is my only lecture of the day, but it’s a 3 hour session. This varies on different days of the week and in different semesters. During the lecture, we discuss the topic that is the basis for the assignment for this semester. As my class is quite small, the lecture is more intimate and therefore my lecturer is available to look at any work, and offer guidance and support if I need it.

1pm: After my lecture, my activities tend to vary in what I do next, ranging from making some lunch, relaxing at home, reflecting on my lecture or doing a food shop. These things are crucial to university studies because reflecting on the lecture helps you retain the knowledge and relaxing helps to maintain great mental health especially when I’m feeling burnt out or stressed.

5pm: My evenings also vary, I either make tea with my house mates or work on projects. Sometimes I have fun in the city, going out for food or to the cinema, or practising self-care. I also work part time at Nando’s so I could be working a late shift there. I find balancing work and university can be quite challenging, however, Nando’s is a great company in that if I feel that it’s becoming too much, I can drop my contracted hours to get back on track with my studies. A part time job isn’t always necessary during university,however, I find that having an extra £200 a week helps me to have fun while I’m studying.

12.30am: Depending on when I finish my shift at work, I usually try to go to sleep at around 12.30am.

Zack | Journalism