I have often read student blogs describing their typical day at university, describing how they would hang out with friends, have a tea or a coffee. For some time my experience was like this too, but this year has brought a lot of novelty with the pandemic and transition to online lectures. My friends and I have adapted to the situation by creating new habits and exploring different activities to have fun – that’s why I want to talk about it. In this post I will introduce you to a typical day in the life of a student in King’s Department of Informatics, during the pandemic!
First things first, I attend my classes and tutorials in the morning. I am living with some friends from my course, so we often watch these together. Although miles away from the in-person experience, in this way it feels like we’re back on King’s Waterloo Campus!
After that, I then start studying, making sure to give at least 6 hours a day to it (unless deadlines are on the way). Being a Computer Scientist also means having a lot of group projects, therefore, I meet with my peers usually in the late afternoon to update each other on our progress.
Of course different days bring different activities. On a Wednesday for example, I usually take my day off and attend the events from the societies I am a part of. Alternatively, on a Friday I would go to the swimming pool and enjoy my afternoon. After all, being a student doesn’t just mean studying all day! There also was a time back in November where we had a blended approach, online lectures with in-person tutorials – that was a good moment to escape from your room and head to a cafe to grab a hot chocolate, immediately after the lab sessions!
The nights are never boring. At my flat, my friends and I like to do many different things to break the monotony. Although we were stuck home for a few months during lockdown, we kept ourselves entertained an enjoyed our time together by playing board games, doing some karaoke and even trying out a few cooking lessons. I am a huge fan of Japanese cuisine, and it was extremely satisfying to learn how to make sushi ourselves (I am really proud of the results!). Some other day, I video call my friends back in my hometown with a drink and a hamburger, pretending we are at the same pub and spending quality time together.
Finally, at the end of the week, I work part-time. After all, someone has to buy those board games, isn’t it? It is then that I am ready for my next week, where I am sure that it will be completely different from the previous one. My flatmates and I are creative people and don’t like monotony too much! While I hope that we can go back to campus soon, it’s also important to make the most of the online learning experience. It’s not that bad!
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