It’s well-known amongst college students that there’s little to no routine in college, which in the beginning we’re excited about – happy to finally be away from the conventional way we’re forced to live in high school, attending the same classes every day, eating our meals at the same time, being told by our families to do our homework, or being reminded of daily tasks we need to complete, but you lose all of that in college.
Some may see this lack of routine as promising, a fresh start for you to figure out what works for you, but I’m still trying to figure out what time of the day I should eat, sometimes I wake up and think I’m hungry and realize too late that I’m not, or sometimes it’s the other way around. Either way, the lack of routine has been a difficult adjustment for me. I enjoyed waking up every day at the same exact time, getting a coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts every morning, and walking into my homeroom as the bell was ringing, but in college you have no bells.
However, there are definitely benefits to having no routine, such as the fresh start. You get more authority over your life, what time you want to go to class, what time you need to study, when you’re supposed to eat, it’s difficult to get the hang of what kind of routine you need to start for this major transition, but it’s definitely doable.
So here’s my piece of advice: figure out what works for you! This is your chance to discover yourself and all your habits, figure out if you focus better after eating or before, or if you know you can never schedule another 8:30 class because you can barely keep your eyes open, because let’s be honest: no one should really be up that early, so take this time to reinvent yourself, and to use your new discoveries to flourish in your academics, and your social life.