A typical day for any university student can be significantly different to that of a sixth form or college student, sometimes making the switch between sixth form and university is difficult to get used to. This article gives a sneak peak into the everyday life of a student, so you know what you can expect when you move to university. At Cardiff University, each student’s day is different, depending on which courses they take and whether they’re part of a society or sports team. But, every student will go to lectures and seminars and other kinds of activities that revolve around uni. Here is an idea of what the typical day of a Cardiff University student is like.
Disclaimer: this is a typical day for a Journalism student and therefore it may not be the same as other students
Even if you have a 9am lecture that morning, the thought of getting up and ready at 7am in the morning is very unlikely for any university student. You will most likely still be sleeping at this time in the morning. Unless you take a long time to get up and get yourself ready for the day, sleep for as long as you can!
For me personally, the majority of my lectures don’t start until 11 am, so getting up at about 9 am is perfect timing for me. Once you’ve finally found the strength to move from your comfy bed, it’s time to get up and ready for the day.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so make sure you have a big one before heading off to uni. Coffee is also an essential staple of the student diet, even if you didn’t drink coffee before starting uni, you will now!
Once you’ve had breakfast, a shower and tried to make yourself as presentable as you can be bothered to make yourself for the day- you’re going to be tired on a morning, it’s unlikely you’ll want to spend your time doing your hair or makeup when that could be extra time in bed- it’s time for uni.
Cardiff University is just a short (ish) walk away from the majority of it’s accommodations. Depending on where your lectures are held, you’ll be able to set off at least 15 minutes before they start and still make it on time. Handy, right?
Almost all of the lectures at Cardiff University are two hours long in length, and as I mentioned before, my lectures tend to begin at 11am meaning they finish at 1pm.
You might think that this is a really long time to be sat in a stuffy lecture hall surrounded by a lot of people you don’t know, but you soon get used to it. Some lectures towards the end of the year fly by as you adapt to uni life and most lecturers will give you a break in-between the two hours- aka. snack break!
Seminars at Cardiff University are really important for helping students to understand the content that is covered within lectures. They are only an hour long and are in much smaller, classroom sized groups. Seminars can be intimidating if you don’t know anyone else there, but everyone is friendly and in the same boat so don’t be afraid to ask questions and talk to people.
If you have a seminar straight after a lecture though they can be hard to get through. You will just want to go home and get straight into bed, but try to make as many as you can, they really do help with exam prep and essay guidance.
If there’s one thing that I have learnt from starting university, it is the importance of a good nap! If you’re not as lazy as I am then you’ll probably be using this time to do something more productive with your day, or you might still be at uni studying away. Luckily I have very short days at uni and therefore always have time to squeeze in an hours nap, or two…
Cardiff University has some great sports facilities, whether you’re part of a sports team, like rugby or football, or you just like to exercise in the gym to keep fit. Whatever you do it’s important to try and squeeze some exercise into your day. So head over to Talybont Sports Centre gym or go for a run down by the beautiful Bute park, getting in a quick workout will make you feel more energised and willing to study.
Prep time for going out is essential to every students evening routine. For girls especially, you need to give yourself a long enough time on a night to do your hair, makeup etc. but also to get some food in you!
Cardiff city centre has a really good nightlife but the university’s student union is also just as messy a night out. So make sure you have a good meal to cope with the significantly large number of VKs you’re inevitably going to be consuming on the SU dance floor.
Pre-drinks: aka trying to drink as much as you possibly can before the taxi arrives outside to stop you from spending too much of your over draft.
Pres at Cardiff University can sometimes be the best way to meet new people from your accommodation, especially during freshers. Again, everyone’s friendly and if the drinks are flowing it’ll be way easier to get to know some more people on campus.
In Cardiff the night life is big and it is busy! You’ll definitely be spending most of your week nights out partying in one of the main clubs in Cardiff, whether thats Pryzm, Glam, Tiger Tiger, or even Soda (if you fancy mixing with the whole of Cardiff Met!).
University isn’t just about studying hard to get your degree, it’s also about the social life- especially in first year! So go and enjoy all that Cardiff’s night life has to offer.
It’s been a long day of lectures, seminars and partying. Finally it’s time to crawl into bed and relax… Oh and get ready for the whole thing to start over again tomorrow, if you manage to wake up in time with that hangover that you will definitely have that is!
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