A day in the life of a Chemistry student at Birmingham: Lab edition

07:00 - Alarm 1

07:45 - Alarm 3: Get ready for the day

I think the morning might be the hardest part of my day because, like a lot of people, I LOVE SLEEP. However, whilst sleep is valuable [please make sure to get in your 7-9 hours], I do in fact have a 9am lab to go to. Generally, I don't pause while getting ready or else I might doze off again but this means I have a relaxed amount of time to eat breakfast which today was just cereal.

08:45 - Head to the lab

Had to layer up today because it was quite chilly outside but I was lowkey running late.

09:00 - Lab time

Today in the lab, my team had a pretty relaxed time. We ran analyses on products we had made in previous days, and then we also set up some overnight reactions. In the spare lab time I just filled in my lab notebook and planned for the rest of the week. Once we were done we got to leave early which was so nice cause I was getting hungry.

11:30 AM - Head home and quick lunch

There is something in the lab that just ignited this hunger in me, it's actually so insane - potentially a spirit in the lab. Typically, for busier weeks I meal-prep lunches, so this week I have a bunch of sandwiches to get through, plus some fruit to keep me satiated. After eating I just relaxed for a bit and called my mum before heading back to campus.

1 PM - Mandarin class

I have so many random hobbies but one I picked up last year out of the blue was Mandarin, which on your own is kind of difficult, so I decided to sign up for the free language course at the uni. It's probably one of the highlights of my week because it's fun but also not like brain rotting. This week we learnt colours and how to talk about clothes.

2 PM - Head home

2:15 PM - Nap time

Taking naps isn't really something I do, however this week has been so tiring so I gave in, and it was worth it. I felt so much more refreshed afterwards.

3:45 PM - Lock in time

After that refreshing nap, I did some research on the parasitic disease me and my lab group are trying to synthesise drugs against. And then I just did some light revision on some first year topics that linked to my lab that I wasn't quite confident on.

7pm - Dinner time

Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes! I love potatoes. I think they're one of the most versatile vegetables, so I just had some roasted of that with some boiled veggies and chicken my mum gave me <3.

8pm - Gym session

I hit arms so hard but I find the gym quite therapeutic when it's not busy. I also did some cardio before heading home.

10:30pm - Shower and reading [Crime and Punishment]

12:00am - Bed time!

Overall, this was a sort of medium day in my life. Some days are slower and some days are more packed. When it's not lab weeks I usually just have a few lectures to attend and self-study to do which isn't too bad.