Blog post written by Hunter Amo
I thought university was going to be straight out of a cheesy teenage movie: color-coordinated notes, the smell of freshly uncapped Sharpies, studying into the a.m. in the library, and making friends while passing through the campus sidewalks. I had dreams of cute outfits, lunch dates, and whispers at vending machines—the reality is a haywire mix of writing marathons, discussion posts, and timed quizzes. Welcome to a very real week in my life as a commuter student at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Mondays:
I have two classes on Mondays: Advanced Writing and Introduction to Spanish. My writing course is in person, and I meet with my classmates and teacher in the Social Sciences building. From 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., I listen to my professor lecture and take notes on rhetorical appeals, literary devices, and make a list for any work she assigns us. My next class starts at 3 p.m., so I usually grab lunch at a local restaurant and curl up in a cozy chair at the Mardigian Library to knock out some homework while I wait. Staying on campus during my break in between classes helps me to focus on my work. I’m an English major, which means my assignments consist of writing essays, poems, short stories, and gathering and synthesizing information for the occasional research paper.
In my Spanish 101 class, we only meet once a week; it’s a hybrid course where I complete most of my modules online.
After my day ends around 4 p.m., I make the drive home and sometimes stop at my friend’s house along the way to hang out and chat or at the grocery store to grab ingredients to make a quick dinner if I’m craving something special.
Tuesdays:
Tuesdays are my homework days. I take four classes in total, with two of them being completely asynchronous; that means I have to pay careful attention to deadlines and steadily pace myself with work throughout the week. Because I don’t have any in-person classes on Tuesdays, I like to sleep in—sometimes until one in the afternoon (because this is a judgment-free zone), and then sit on the couch with my laptop.
In my Advanced Creative Writing class, we typically have 3-4 readings a week, sometimes including short stories, personal essays, and poems, and one discussion board. I have to reply to the prompts about the readings in my discussion post by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday nights, and then respond to two of my classmates by Friday night. Likewise, in my Introduction to English Studies class, I have similar readings and a discussion post, with the occasional quiz.
I’m also a student employee and write for the Admissions Blog (duh!), so I take time on Tuesdays to outline my piece for the week and begin writing about it. Those who study in the liberal arts know that good ideas ebb and flow, and writer’s block can be a total pain; so sometimes all I can write are a few mediocre titles, and other times I can type in a feverish frenzy and somehow go over my word count. I’ve learned to be satisfied with anything I can put on the page, as long as there is something to look at and brainstorm later in the week.
Wednesdays:
On Wednesdays, I’m back in Advanced Writing bright and early, but instead of lectures, we spend the day actually writing and getting things done. On the weeks when we have essays due, we swap computers with a neighbor and do some peer reviews for each other. Leaving constructive feedback and some friendly criticisms can go a long way in creating a final draft, especially if I’m not feeling too confident in my paper so far.
After class, I head back home and continue with homework; I’ve found that doing homework during this time helps me stay focused and in a good writing flow. This is when I usually sneak back into my Google Document for work and continue tip-tapping away at my keyboard, slowly forming my post and editing it. When I’ve gotten a decent draft going, I send it to my boss, who takes a look at it in preparation for our meetings on Thursdays. I also complete my Spanish modules for the week, which are fill-in-the-blanks and other learning exercises for Spanish newbies. As a Type A neat-freak, I usually have all of my online work done by Wednesdays or Thursdays… usually. Even I get sucked into doomscrolling once in a while.
(Don’t check the screen time on my phone.)
Thursdays:
I have a 10 a.m. meeting with my boss on Thursdays, which lasts an hour. I linger in my warm bed for as long as possible, then quickly apply my makeup and get dressed so that I can be out the door by 9:30. It takes me twenty minutes to get to school, and I use that time to listen to music and podcasts while thinking about the upcoming meeting. When I arrive, my boss and I go over my work piece for the week, and I make sure to listen to any edits or corrections that she wants me to take a look at. If things are sounding good, we will discuss the topic for my next piece. Sometimes my boss already has content in mind, and sometimes I bring something new to the table—which has, on one occasion, been writing an entire blog post about secretly infiltrating the Swing Dance Club like I am some wannabe James Bond. Thankfully, my boss is flexible and hears my crazy ideas with an open mind. She’s also great at listening to my university-life gossip.
Fridays:
Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, el fin de semana (the end of the week), are “me” days, and “me” days only. Again, slightly Type A person here: my homework is 9/10 times done by now! I use these days to catch up with friends, have sleepovers with my girls, go out, see my boyfriend, and hang out with my family. I also do all of the typical student things, like rot in my bed, dread more work, and freak out about my impending adult future. Sometimes I’ll do some more writing if the creative juices are flowing; mostly, though, I’m downstairs on the PS5 playing horror games or forcing my friends to listen to my rants about essay deadlines. After the Sunday Scaries—yes, we all feel it—I set my alarms, and it’s rinse and repeat for the next week.
Overall, no matter how packed or peaceful my week is, I’ve learned that finding a rhythm that works for me is what makes the UM-Dearborn experience feel my own.
