Day in the Life of a College Student

Matthew Willar

News Editor

One thing I have learned about college is that even when you have a declared major, you still learn about yourself and what you want to do with your life. Since freshman year, I have struggled with finding my ideal lifestyle, trying to figure out how to balance experiences I enjoy back home while also creating new opportunities with the many advantages that Assumption gives us. Since becoming the News Editor for this paper, I have identified how I want to spend the remainder of my time at college, and so here, I present my day in the life.

I prefer to take morning classes, not just because you get them over with early in the day but also because it allows me to create opportunities in the afternoons. My day starts around 9:00 am when my alarm goes off, and I get ready for my first class.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have two back-to-back writing courses starting at 10:30 am: Business and Technical Writing followed by Creative Nonfiction. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have American Humor & Gen Z at 10:00 am followed by Introduction to Management at 12:30. After I finish my classes, I drive to work. I am a Group Leader at an elementary school after-school program, which I do every day except for Thursdays. I work until 6:00, and then once I get back on campus, I head down to our newspaper office to start producing the paper every other week. On nights when we aren’t producing the paper, I have some time to myself. A lot of it is dedicated to coursework, writing articles, and doing some freelance work in a side job I have with the Black Eyed Peas creative direction team. After all of this, I begin to settle down by doing a TikTok scroll and eventually going to bed by midnight.

Many people find that having an off-campus job, while enjoyable and a good experience, can reduce the amount of time you have to enjoy the college experience. For me, I couldn’t disagree more.

My off-campus job and freelance work have introduced me to a professional working environment and given me crucial skills that have helped me in my courses.

As a Communication and Media major, I do have a passion for journalism, but working in these jobs has given me some different communication skills. It led to me declaring a minor in both Marketing and Education.

I get to work with adults who aren’t teachers or school counselors but rather are professional communicators who have a passion for working with children but also in creating programs and planning events, something I have been drawn to in some of my Communication and Media classes. My work with the Black Eyed Peas has allowed me to learn from professionals in the public relations and media direction fields, and collaborate with people across the globe.

My college experience may be described as different from most college students. I have three responsibilities outside of my coursework, but having them has only given me skills I will need when hopefully working in some journalism environment in the future.

Everyone who knows me (and my writing), knows that I like to do a lot and be in two places at one time. It is a trait that can cause stress, but also pleasure, but regardless of how I may feel on a given day, I don’t think I would ever change how I live my day-to-day life as a college student.