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If you have not learned to drink coffee (or at least some Red Bull every once in a while), then you will have a tough time in college. That seems to be the consensus of many students who are “living the dream” of college life today. What they are really saying, of course, is that anyone getting ready to begin college life needs to be prepared to lose sleep and to be able to function with less sleep on many days. Don’t worry, however, they say, because you can make up that sleep on other days.

What Does a Day in the Life of a College Student Look Life?

There is no single answer. Students who have been interviewed about this question all say that it depends on the day. Here is why the answers differ:

Schedule and Time

In high school, you must be at school when school begins or beware the detentions that are sure to follow. And your entire school day is filled with one class after another, with 20-30 minutes for lunch.

A college student schedule is very different. Your days begin at different times, and your responsibility is to be in a class when it is meeting. Classes may be 2-3 hours apart, so you have time to get back to your dorm room and watch that episode of NCIS you missed last night or finish the homework for the class that is coming up. You can also hang out at the student union, take a nap, and do your laundry or anything else you want.

The other great thing about college is that you get to choose your schedule. A required English course may meet 10 different times, so you choose. Lots of students try to get all or most of their classes on 2 or 3 days a week, so that they have long times off in between. A typical course load is 5 course, and they either meet M-W-F or T-Th., not all 5 days.

Different Responsibilities

College students have a wide variety of activities during non-class hours. Some are really busy with clubs and organizations; some have part-time jobs; some do volunteer work in the community. The bottom line is this: Based on those responsibilities, their days are really different.

Some Common Factors in the Life of College Student

Despite the differences in schedules and responsibilities, most student describe their typical days as follows:

1. The alarm goes off and always the snooze button is pushed. If you end up getting up really late and have to rush to get to class, you probably pull on yesterday’s clothes, spray yourself with some kind of cologne and take off for class (the shower and clean clothes will come during break).
2. Your class meets for 1 – 1 ½ hours, and then you are free for maybe an hour or two before the next one, maybe more. During these break times, you either run back to your room to get some things done, relax, take a nap, grab some food, or you hang out with friends or go to the library.
3. You get to your next class, and the day goes on.
4. When classes are over for the day, the rest of your waking hours are up to you. Mom and dad are not there to remind you about your homework and such. You just have to get yourself organized and motivated to do it. On a slow night, you can hang out with friends, watch TV or play video games. On a heavy night of homework, you usually start right after supper, and work until midnight or beyond, depending on what is due.

On really heavy nights, especially if you have procrastinated, you may have to pull an “all-nighter,” and this is where the coffee and Red Bull come in.

5. In between the classes, the clubs, studying and hanging with friends, you do have to find time to get laundry done, clean your room or apartment, grocery shop if you are on your own for meals, and so on. Yep – you are sort of a “little adult” now.

Weekends are totally different – parties, events, shopping, and, best of all, no alarms.