Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Life

Day in the Life of a Commuter/Resident Student

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Siena chapter.

Everyone has their own version of a “day in their life.” As someone who is defined as both a commuter and a resident student, mine can be a little interesting at times. I am currently living in the off-campus suites in Troy; because of this, I have a 10-15 minute commute, yet I’m still defined as a resident student. Some days, my life is wicked boring, and others are extremely hectic. Let me walk you through one of my hectic days: Terrible Tuesday!

I wake up around 6:30-7:00 AM to either the sound of one of my roommates’ nonstop alarms, or by the sound of beeping cars in the background. This usually isn’t a bad thing, but on a Terrible Tuesday, it can feel much worse than it is. Considering my first class of the day is at 9:50, I begin to slowly take my time getting ready. I go through my 10+ step skincare routine, my multiple step teeth cleaning routine (perks of having a permanent retainer!), and my nutritious gluten-free breakfast (A.K.A. birthday cake GF granola and Greek yogurt). I then quickly pack my backpack for the day, and leave my apartment around 9:00 AM. 

I arrive at Siena around 9:15, which leaves me plenty of time to find a decent parking spot behind Foy Hall. Trust me, you want to get there early; the parking spots in Foy deplete very quickly beyond 9:30. I chill out in my car and blast music until around 9:30, and I walk over to Kiernan Hall for my first class. I’m usually the first one there, so I tend to send out some emails while I’m waiting.

Once my first class of the day is over, I quickly rush to Siena hall for my 11:40 class; we love some back-to-back classes! We especially love them when they’re both business courses that don’t relate to my major; on occasion (A.K.A. quite often), these classes can be quite of a drag. But, I love each of my professors for these classes! Finally, at 1:10 PM, I’m done with my first two classes of the day.

After 1:10, I have a little over two hour break between now and my next class; because of this, I actually drive back to my apartment for lunch. Being someone with Celiac’s Disease, I can’t eat anything on campus. Since that is the case, I go back to my suite to eat! I usually will end up eating a pretty substantial lunch, due to the rest of my day being pretty busy. As someone with a gluten issue, I have relied on salads for a while. I will usually have my take on a Caesar salad: romaine lettuce, kale, spinach, grilled chicken, and topped with both parmesan crisps and Caesar dressing. Trust me, it’s a very good, filling, and reliable salad.

After eating lunch, I hang out at my apartment until around 2:45. I then head back to Siena for my 3:20 class. I usually end up arriving at that class early as well, so I converse with my professor for a little while; she’s a very sweet person! Then, I spend about an hour and a half in the class; it tends to go by very quickly, as I feel this is one of my faster-paced courses this semester.

After this class, I have about a 40 minute break between my classes. During this time, I’ll either hang out at the library and study a little bit, or I’ll hang out in the Roger Bacon lobby and study there. When it’s time to go to my 5:40 class, I head to the second floor of Roger Bacon, and get ready for that class. In accordance with this class, I have a lab, so I’m doing this class until 9:00!

After my class and lab period, I quickly head back to my apartment to get ready for bed. I take a shower, have a quick bite to eat, do my intense skincare and teeth care routine once again, and finally settle for bed. In bed, I study and/or do homework for about an hour. After that, I watch an episode of some show that I’m interested in; right now, it’s Master Chef (don’t ask me why, I don’t even know). Then, I go to sleep! I’m a bit of an early sleeper. 

Thank you for coming through my Terrible Tuesday! With being on campus for almost 12 hours on this day, it can be quite a lot to handle. Overall, this is my busiest day of the week; but with enough rest in-between it all, it can get easier over time!

Madison Savage is a Senior at Siena College. She is currently majoring in Marketing with a concentration in Strategic Human Resource Management. She hopes to one day be either a cosmetics marketer for Sephora or Colourpop Cosmetics, or a fashion journalist for Vogue. Her passions and hobbies include doing makeup, fashion, skiing, and writing.