I normally don’t look forward to anything special at the start of a new semester. Usually, it’s the same old cycle: classes, work, classes, work. However, this semester is a bit different — it’s my final semester as a college student. (Eek!)
This spring, I will be graduating from the University of West Georgia with a major in mass communications, with a concentration in public relations and a minor in music. But beyond just a degree, college has also helped me gain a new perspective on life (and yes, therapy helped with this too). In the past year, I’ve really started to appreciate the little things in life — including my daily routine.
After a hectic and exhausting fall semester, my final spring semester in college is thankfully more mellow. Now that I have completed all of the classes for my major (thank God!), I only have to focus on the classes for my minor and two core classes. That said, I still have to attend to my two on-campus jobs (which are remote), as well as my freelance publicist role that gives me the freedom to set my own hours.Â
So, come along with me as I celebrate my last first day of college… ever!
7:00 a.m.: Wake up & get ready
During all four years of college, I made it a habit to wake up at 7 a.m. to get a fresh and early start to my day. I’m no night owl by any means (TBH, I can’t stand staying up late); in fact, I am a loud and proud morning bird.Â
8:30 a.m.: Breakfast & library session No. 1
I hopped over to the dining hall for breakfast — nothing too big, just enough to fill me up a bit. After breakfast, I decided to go buy a honey citrus mint tea from Starbucks to warm up, because winter is chilly down here in Georgia. Since my university’s Starbucks is located in the campus library, I went to the quiet floor to review my classes’ syllabi.
10:00 a.m.: My first class
My first class of the day was Western Music After 1825. This course is heavily writing-based (lucky me!) and it’s one of the final courses that I have to take in order to finish my minor. The professor went over everything that will be expected for the semester, such as our semester projects. The class is about the study of musical styles and genres of Western music post-1825 to now, and focuses on the cultural context of musical genres during certain time periods. So interesting!
11:00 a.m.: Library session No. 2
After my music class, I went back to the library to work on discussion posts for my classes and finished writing an article for a publication I freelance for.Â
12:00 p.m.: My second class
The second class of the day was Wellness and Musicians. As a wellness writer for Her Campus, I was looking forward to this class the most, because it combines two of my favorite things in the world. In this course, we’ll learn about the mental wellbeing of musicians and utilize our personal goals related to wellness to better understand the material.
1:30 p.m.: Midday pick-me-up
After my second class, I’ve decided to treat myself to a dirty soda at Wolf Den Nutrition, which is my college town’s juice shop. The store opened back in October and I have been a regular ever since — my usual orders are either the Barbie hydration drink or the barely dirty soda (which is what I got today). After picking up my drink, I went back to the library to plan out the rest of my month.
3:00 p.m.: My third class
Last class of the day! This class functions as a music laboratory, meaning attendance is mandatory. For the first day, the professors brought in Shawn Kirchner as a guest artist. Kirchner is active in the Los Angeles community as a composer and songwriter, and his singing has been featured on soundtracks of well-known films such as Avatar and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It was so cool to hear from him!
5:00 p.m.: Eat & chill
When I tell you that I was tired, I was tired. After a long day with minimal breaks in between, I was too lazy to cook, so I decided to go to my on-campus Chick-fil-A to order dinner and headed back to my apartment. As I ate dinner, I caught up on the final episode of Heated Rivalry — I *adored* the emotional connection of Shane and Ilya. (I can’t wait until Season 2!) After dinner, I made tea and reviewed notes for my classes, then I called it a night.
Not every day will look like my first day — but since it was my last first day of college, I’m so glad I started out on a good note. Here’s to the rest of the semester and my upcoming, well-deserved graduation!