So, what does a day in my life actually look like?
If you had told 18-year-old me that one day I’d be living in a new country, studying business management at postgraduate level, and genuinely enjoying early morning lectures… I probably would’ve laughed (politely) and gone back to binge-watching Netflix in bed. But here I am enjoying studying for my MS International Management at the Lancaster campus trying to balance coursework, caffeine addiction, and the occasional identity crisis — all before dinner.
Ever wondered what it’s really like to be a student at university – beyond the lectures and late-night study sessions? Well, here’s a little peek behind the scenes of my everyday life as a student! Spoiler alert: it’s not all caffeine and chaos (though there’s a bit of both!)
A Battle Between Me & My Alarm Clock: Mornings
The day begins with a familiar soundtrack: the hum of my phone vibrating against the nightstand, followed by the slow, familiar creak of my window blinds as sunlight pushes through. I’m not a 5.00am productivity warrior — let’s be honest — but I’ve trained myself to rise by 7.30am most days. My alarm rings at 7.30, it rings again at 7.35, then 7.40. By 7.45, guilt kicks in, and I crawl out of bed like a Wi-Fi signal on 1%. Breakfast is a ritual: coffee (mandatory), toast (burnt 3/7 days), and a scroll through my planner while pretending to be organised. The days when I am super lazy and skip breakfast, I grab a coffee at the café on the campus – me and my bestie both get a coffee before our first lecture to survive the day.
I live in private housing, a short walk from campus — far enough to enjoy a quiet evening, but close enough that I can “just make it” if I leave five minutes late, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I’m close enough to roll into class without checking the bus timetable; a curse because I keep telling myself, “I’ve got time.”
Study Spots, Snacks & Social Energy
When it’s time to focus, I rotate between three sacred spaces:
- The library (for silence when I'm feeling stressed)
- My desk at home (for snacks within arm’s reach)
- A cute café down the street (for pretending I’m in Paris)
Around 1.00pm, I grab lunch. I usually get a jacket potato with loads of veggies and cheese on top. I have become a fan of this and can’t think about anything else without having it first.
And sometimes, my friends and I eat outside, laughing about the group chat memes and trying to pretend deadlines aren’t real.
After lunch, it’s time for a group study session. We’re prepping for an assignment for our management module. It’s a mix of progress, snack breaks, and the occasional moment where someone opens Canva and gets too passionate about fonts. (Guilty.)
Motivation and Organisation? Barely Holding It Together
People ask me how I stay organised. The truth? I live and die by my Google Calendar, use Notion like it’s a second brain, and stick colourful sticky notes on every surface like motivational graffiti.
Motivation is a different beast. Some days I’m on fire, working on assessments like I’m the main character in a movie. Other days, I reward myself for sending one email with three hours of YouTube. And that’s okay.
Evening: Dinner, Decompression & Discord Calls
By the time the sun starts to dip, I’m home and done. Dinner is my wind-down moment, usually it’s homemade pasta, which sounds fancy but is actually just me pouring sauce over pasta with some chicken and veggies and calling it a win.
Evenings vary: sometimes I catch up on readings, sometimes I join a friend for a walk, and sometimes we just play online games and talk about how we “should be studying.” Productivity is a spectrum.
Advice From One Slightly Panicked Soul to Another
Here’s what I wish someone had told me:
- Everyone’s winging it, even the ones who look like they’ve got it together.
- Say yes to that event, that invite, that weird-sounding society.
- Stay hydrated, keep snacks in your bag, and please back up your files.
- Most importantly: don’t just study your degree — study yourself.
University isn’t just a place where you learn about marketing, medicine, or mechanics. It’s where you learn how you work best, what you love, how to manage time, friendships, and your own expectations.
And if you can do all that, while still remembering to eat lunch and submit assignments on time, you are already doing amazing.
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