Week in the life of a Human Neuroscience student

A human neuroscience student's week-to-week life is changeable, but here is what an average week in the first year looked like...

Monday

Groggy from a weekend of making friends, socialising, and catching up on work, it is time to start again. Up early most weeks for a morning lecture and prepare a packed lunch. After the morning lecture, I usually went with some friends to the library to study. This is a great motivation if you don't chat for too long.

In the afternoon, I usually had a computer practical, which was not the most fun but essential statistical software that I learned, which is very useful for many careers.

After many long hours on campus, it's time to head home. In the first year, many students lived on the vale; depending on where I was n campus it was only a short walk, sometimes down the lovely canal. After dinner, it's time to head out to my society meeting. I did first aid society every Monday. When your society meets, it will depend on your chosen society, but they are all such fun and a great way to meet friends.

Tuesday

Thankfully, Tuesday is a bit later, so I head to campus to study in the library to get some studying done before my lecture. Some lectures give pre-lecture work that needs to be done before attending. This is a great time to do it, so it's still fresh. Off to a two-hour lecture, while some lectures are scheduled for two hours. In the first year, they often run shorter, and the time at the end allows you to ask the lecturer questions.

Next up is a workshop. These are more like a traditional classroom with around 30 students to 1 lecturer and are much more interactive, often including working in pairs or groups. It can be pretty tiring after 3 hours of lectures and workshops, so I usually get food or drinks with some friends as a break before returning to work.

I sometimes have sports practice in the evening, but this depends on what sports you choose, or you can use this time to go to the gym or engage in your favourite hobby.

Wednesday

Up early again for a morning lecture and went to the library to study afterwards. But on Wednesday afternoons everybody Is free. This is usually dedicated to sports practice and tournaments, but lots of people use it to relax and meet up with friends or catch up on any work they need to do. Especially around assignment deadlines, this can be a great extended time to work on written work.

Wednesday nights are sports nights, which means many people go out drinking and clubbing, whether in the guild, Birmingham centre or drinks held in friends' accommodations. If you have more of a quiet night in person, you may need earplugs tonight. It is usually bustling outside accommodation and in the streets of Selly late into the night.

Thursday

if you're lucky with your timetable, the night after sports night will be a late start, giving you time to recover. Often, on Thursdays, I had no planned lectures; therefore, I would use this time to book any meetings or other academic activities like tutor meetings. As a human neuroscience or psychology student, you are required to complete a research participation scheme. This involves participating in ongoing research at the uni, ranging from online surveys to MRIs and EEGs (as you can see in the photo). I often booked that on my free days.

Thursday evenings were sports practice again for me.

Friday

After a walk into campus and a few lectures, I liked to study outside depending on the weather or head back to the library. On Fridays, I want to start finishing up and reviewing the week's work, ensuring all lecture notes are complete. On Friday, there is often a sense of relief and achievement for the week just past, and if you're lucky enough to be up to date on work, you can start to relax for the weekend ahead.

Weekend

Everyone is different, but at the weekend; all my household chores need to be done. I've got a pile of laundry and an empty fridge. Of I go to the grocery shop to stock up for next week. When I get back, I like to spend some time meal prepping for the week ahead as I find this the easiest way to eat well. The weekends are often the most changeable. Some weekends, I'd spend the whole time with friends, others catching up on last-minute work or lying in bed watching films with a bowl of popcorn. Some societies and sports even go on weekend trips. These are often cheap and great fun, whether a long cycle ride, hike, kayaking trip to Cardiff white water, football tournament, or many more.

Overall this is just a small glimpse of what your life could look like at a university. everyone's life looks different even with the same timetable. some people are night owls, and others are early birds. The first semester may be a little tough, but you'll soon find a routine that fits you, even if that's no routine at all. What I'd recommend is ensuring you go to all the lectures, computer practicals and workshops you can and set aside a few hours of dedicated study time to each lecture a week, but don't forget to engage in sports/exercise or whatever other hobbies you enjoy. I also recommend spending some social time with others at least once a week. This could be walking and talking to a lecturer, going on a night out, or going to a cafe to chat. Good luck and feel free to message me to ask any questions!