It’s been a long time since I shared a day-in-the-life post! The pandemic and hybrid in-person/online school has made it really hard to set a routine for myself, but every week I get closer to finding a schedule that works for me. I’m going to show you what a typical day looks like for me on a day where I have plans with friends, get some work done solo, and have a class to attend in the evening. I hope this helps you get an idea for what life is like as a graduate student!

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Even though I knew I was heading to brunch soon, the first thing I had to do when I woke up in the morning was make myself some iced coffee. I live for my caramel iced coffee that I make with a Keurig. Some days I take my iced coffee and a book out to read in our courtyard, but today I had plans and needed to start getting ready sooner. I drank this cup while sitting at my desk while checking my agenda/email and making sure I was caught up and ready for the day.

Because we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, I don’t get to see my friends as often anymore. The safest thing we know how to do is outdoor dining, and today the plan was brunch at a Norman favorite (Neighborhood JAM!) It was supposed to be a little chilly when we arrived but warm up as the morning went on, so I chose to layer a black turtleneck under a silk slip dress.

As always, brunch was *chef’s kiss*. I was the only one who treated myself to a mimosa (the others opted for coffee) and we all ordered “The Heap”, which is essentially just loaded hashbrowns. It kept me full through about 4:00 PM, which I was not mad about. Loved seeing my friends, it had been a while since I saw them since our schedules got a lot harder to plan around with school in full swing!

I checked the mail when I got home and realized that I had two surprises waiting for me! One was some CASETiFY phone cases I had ordered the week before, and the other was a postcard from my friend Erica who recently moved to go to graduate school in Indiana.

I had been wanting a new phone case for a while and immediately swapped out my old one for the black and pink one. It’s too cute, I’m obsessed!

After the high from opening my packages wore off, I decided I should try to get some work done. I was working to get ahead so I could relax when I went out of town in the coming days.

Once the weather warmed up even more, I took my studying outdoors and did some of my work from the comfort of my apartment complex’s rooftop deck. I love this area for relaxing, socializing, and studying, and I’m almost always alone up there! It really is a hidden gem of the complex and I can’t wait to watch football up here later in the season.

After a successful few hours of work, it was time for me to head to my evening class. I snapped this selfie right before heading out to campus. It’s weird having a class that only partially meets in person, but this was one of those days and I did feel a little relief of being able to get out of the house again.

When class ended, it was time to go home and start my evening routine. I had planned to get more work done after class, but I was feeling pretty drained and decided to call it an evening pretty early on. Overall, I had a good day and loved the combo of seeing friends, getting work done, and going to class!

What do your days typically look like? Everyone’s lives are turned upside down right now and we are all looking to add some normalcy to our daily and weekly routines. Let me know how you set a schedule for yourself!

-K