I live by schedules and timetables. So, the first thing I do when I wake up is run through my day’s lectures/labs/tutorials and other programmes in my head. Sometimes I love my timetable, sometimes I dread it. Sometimes my college day starts only at 2pm and ends by 4pm. On others, it runs from 9am to 5pm. Whatever it is, it is the love for the degree I am doing that keeps me going. Also, no matter which day of the week it is, I wake up before 8am, because there is so much precious time in the morning you wouldn’t want to waste by sleeping.
After a proper breakfast (I insist on having a proper breakfast regardless of how long my day is going to be), I pack some lunch (which I would’ve prepared the previous day) and head out to college nice and early. My lectures are usually well-spaced, with an hour’s gap at least in between classes.
Lectures are intensive; one has to pay close attention to catch everything the lecturer is saying and quickly scribble down all the important pointers that aren’t on the lecture slides. But the lecturers are simply amazing, not only are they knowledgeable in the field, they know how to engage the class.
In the breaks between lectures, I first head over to my secret spot to have lunch. Well, it’s not going to be much of a secret since I’m going to disclose it here, but still it is a less-known spot in UCD – the Newman basement, near the College Tribune office. Here, I don’t have to scramble around to find a table to have my lunch. As soon as I’m done, I head into the library. My recent favourite is the cosy library in the Veterinary Medicine building. I usually review the lectures that just took place that day or the day before and write detailed notes. This is why I always carry my writing pad and some coloured ink pens with me at all times, in order to get some studying done in between classes. Here is a photo of me studying for my Crop Breeding module in the Vet Med library:
On many days, I have other non-academic engagements to tend to. I work as a Career Ambassador with the Careers Network, as a Student Ambassador, I run UCD’s Vegetarianism Awareness Campaign and I also am an editor for the College Tribune. Usually, I have work shifts to complete and meetings to attend for these engagements. It can get very busy, especially at the start of term, but things tend to quieten down after Week 4 (phew!).
After my lectures and other engagements are done for the day, I head back home. I’m not one to linger around after my day’s done at college. Once I come home, I finish up my note-writing/revision for that day’s lectures, as well as send some emails ahead of time for the next day. This is me hard at work trying to understand a concept from my Regulation of Gene Expression module in the evening after returning home from college:
Sometimes I have articles to write for the College Tribune. Sometimes, I have completed all my day’s tasks and so I curl up on my bed with a nice book. I also tend to my coriander plant in the evenings, if I forget to water him in the morning.
Whatever it is, I like to get all my work done first before relaxing. After 8pm, I have dinner and get some food prepped for the next day. I love cooking – making my own meals is not only relaxing, it gets my creative juices flowing. Here are two meals I made recently – a roast butternut squash pasta salad and okra cooked in spiced yoghurt with rice.
By 9.30pm, I finish my prayers (faith is very important to me) and get ready to go to bed. Yes – early to bed, early to rise is what I swear by! My days can get very hectic and I persevere to keep on top of my game. My plant-based diet, caffeine-free lifestyle coupled with plenty of sleep (8h) are what keep my energy levels sky-high and power me through the week.
