Hey there!
Hope you’re all ready for the Notre Dame football game tomorrow – it’s going to be a tough one but I think we can pull it off. Beat the Irish!
So this semester, just for fun, I’m taking an Introduction to Occupational Therapy course called Lifestyle Design (OT 220). It’s awesome – it’s just two units so it doesn’t take up much room in my schedule, but it definitely encourages me to think outside the box, and examine how I spend my time. I think it’s been really useful for me to check in with myself and affirm that the activities I engage in (or my “occupations”) are really meaningful to me – essentially to make sure that I’m not just going through motions, but that I am engaged in courses, activities, and even pastimes which are important to me and add value to my life.
Recently, we were given a homework assignment asking us to track our time in chunks for a typical week. The professor asked us to record the time spent, what activities we were doing, and how we felt. The assignment really inspired me to think deeply about how I spend my time. Therefore, this week I decided to blog about a couple of “average” days for me at USC so you can see what my schedule is like. Here is a sample of a few “typical” class days. I have most of my classes Monday, and Tuesday so I showed those as samples below.
Monday:
7 am – 8 am: Wake up, get ready for the day, eat breakfast, bike to campus
8 am – 9:30 am: Class – ISE 495a (Senior Design)
9:30 am – 10 am: Find coffee, hang out with ISE friends between ISE classes
10 am – 12 pm: Class – ISE 410 (Production Planning & Scheduling)
12 pm – 2 pm: Class – ISE 435 (Discrete Systems Simulation)
2 pm – 5 pm: Midterm Exam – ITP 487 (Data Warehouses & Business Intelligence)
5 pm – 6 pm: Dinner on campus & review notes from today’s lectures
6 pm – 8 pm: Class – MUSC 223 (Popular Music of the ‘60s and ‘70s)
8 pm – 11 pm: Bike home and review for tomorrow’s exam
Tuesday:
7 am – 8 am: Wake up, get ready for the day, eat breakfast, bike to campus
8 am – 9 am: Freshman Academy Coach Meeting
9 am – 10 am: Miscellaneous tasks: respond to emails, schedule meetings, write blog 🙂
10 am – 12 pm: Coach my Freshman Academy Class
12 pm – 1 pm: Lunch with friends at RTH Cafe on campus
1 pm – 2 pm: Lab – ISE 435 (Discrete Systems Simulation)
2 pm – 5 pm: Midterm Exam – ITP 482 (Engineering Database Applications)
5 pm – 6 pm: Dinner & review notes from today’s lectures
6 pm – 8 pm: Class – OT 220 (Lifestyle Design – Introduction to Occupational Therapy)
8 pm – 11 pm: Bike home, complete homework assignment for ITP course
Since I stuffed most of my classes into the early part of the week (my preference), I have very little class on Thursdays and Fridays this semester, so I tend to spend those days studying and working on homework in the library. Sometimes I work at events for prospective students, have group project meetings, or schedule other miscellaneous activities like donating blood or taking my senior photos. But most of the time, I spend Thursdays and Fridays getting ahead for the next week.
During the fall semester, I really try to get the majority of my homework and studying done on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. That way I can focus on attending classes Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I try to leave Saturdays free for fun activities. Usually this means watching college football (my favorite!) but sometimes I go to the beach, explore downtown LA, or do other activities with my friends – see a movie, go to Six Flags, or whatever sounds enjoyable.
One of the best things about college is that you can choose what kind of schedule works for you, and most of the time, you can structure your schedule to match your personality. I like to have some busy days and some free days. Some of my friends try to have all of their classes in the mornings, with free afternoons. Other friends like to have all their classes at night and sleep in until noon every day. Although not every class is available at every time, my experience has been that I usually have enough options to allow me to choose a schedule that works for me.
Until next time!
Juliana
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