I always find myself completely oblivious to other people’s daily routines, even those that are closest to me. I barely know where my roommates are half the time, and I never think to ask what their day-to-day college experience looks like. It’s crazy how there are 24,000 students on the UMass campus, and every single person has their own daily routine. That’s why I thought I’d share my average Wednesday routine to enlighten everyone who has ever wondered what Abby Hartman does during the school week.
Every day I wake up at 6:00 a.m., give or take 15 minutes, to do a workout. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, my classes start 45 minutes later than those on my Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I usually am able to fit in a 50-minute workout. I typically do it on the floor of my bedroom with a yoga mat and some eight-pound weights, and I usually follow along to a series of Chloe Ting workout videos.
After that, I hop into the shower, maybe take a little too long, and then start my multi-step process of getting ready. I do my hair and make-up as well as pick out my outfit (almost always last minute), before I’m running out the door to my first class at 9:05.
My 9:05 class, Psych 320, is in the Integrative Learning Center. It’s ten minutes from where I live, so I usually arrive with 5 to 10 minutes to spare and make my way to the back of the classroom and sit next to my friend Lara, who I met on the first day, and who has become quite a good friend of mine. The class is about the Learning and Thinking process that occurs within the human brain. I like having this class first thing in the morning because it’s something that interests me, and I find I don’t really have to think too much about the topic, which is usually a struggle that early in the day.
My second class of the day, at 10:10, is PoliSci 273, but it’s all the way in Furcolo. Usually, when I tell people this, I’m met with the same reply, “Where is Furcolo?”. Furcolo is the College of Education building and it is located on the farthest side of campus, past Worcester Dining and even past North Apartments. Right on the edge. My PoliSci class is about power dynamics in politics. I enjoy the class and find it super interesting, but sometimes I find myself a little lost, so for this class, I try to stay as attentive as possible.
After this class ends at 11:00, I have a super long break and I’ll make my way over to Franklin Dining Hall. Frank is my favorite place out of all the locations on campus to eat, so you bet I will go out of my way to grab some lunch. Plus, I’m free until 6 at night, so I try to give myself something to look forward to during each day, and that usually comes down to my decompressing lunch period. I find that most people either have a love or hate relationship with Frank, but I personally love their vegetarian options and their ice cream, so it’s become my lunch spot for almost every day of the week.
After about an hour at lunch, I’ll make my way back to my dorm, where I’ll spend the next two to three hours on homework or studying (depending on how much I have), and then spend the rest of my time either napping or with my roommates.
I’ll make my way over to Herter at around 5:40 to get to my Music 150 class by 6:00 p.m. Every Wednesday is a discussion class, so I usually just sit in the back and listen to my classmates analyze a piece of music or artwork. By the time I get out of class, it’s usually dark and cold and pretty late, around 7:00 p.m. Depending on if my roommates are free, I’ll either get dinner to-go at Harvest or go to Worcester and eat dinner there.
After dinner, at about 8:00, I’ll return back to my dorm, change into something comfy, and probably work on some more homework, depending on how I’m feeling. By 10:00 p.m. I’m all ready for bed, and by 11:30, my lights are out and I’m falling asleep not too soon after.
Thanks for following me around for the day!
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