My name is Adrianna Parker and I am a double major in Strategic Communications and Emerging Technology in Business + Design with a minor in Digital Innovation. I have been working for Student Life as a social media assistant since June 2021, with a break during Spring 2022 for a study away program. I recently studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain during J-term and now I’m back to complete my final semester as an undergraduate student.
Follow along with me on a typical day as a Miami student!
9 a.m. – I turn off my first alarm of the morning. Then a second one at 9:30 a.m. Followed by another one at 9:45 a.m. since I know myself and probably went back to sleep. And maybe even another one after that. Getting out of bed has never been my specialty.
My typical first meal of the day is scrambled eggs, a carb of some sort, fruit, and peanuts or almonds (or something sweet).
11 a.m. – For the fall semester, my schedule consists of two in-person classes between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and that is the perfect time of day for me. I also take two online asynchronous classes on my own time. While I do like seeing my professors in person to get a better understanding of the course material, my favorite class this semester has been IMS 419 – digital branding, which is delivered online asynchronously. I brainstormed a new product for the streaming service, Tidal, and worked on the briefings, presentations, and low-fidelity mockups of what the product would look like.
2 p.m. – If I’m not going for my normal 3-mile walk, I like to use the afternoon for work time and sometimes snack time. Today, I get home from class and have yogurt with granola and fruit for a snack, then open my computer. Like many other people who require entertainment while they eat, I’m quick to open YouTube or HBOMax to find something to watch before starting my homework or extracurricular work. Sometimes I spend more time trying to find something to watch than I do actually consuming the snack… today was that kind of day. I’ve recently gotten into short horror stories, Jubilee or Cut videos, and Absolute Documentaries videos about social life in the United Kingdom. That’s an impressive range if you ask me.
3:30 p.m. – After overstaying my time on entertainment services, I start working on class projects and other homework assignments. As a fourth year student, most of my assignments are application- or implementation-based. I rarely get homework, but I spend long periods of time on projects, videos, scripts, and presentations. I prefer this coursework style because I’ve learned the basics already. Now I get to apply what I know. It makes me feel closer to the real world.
7:15 p.m. – After my work is done for the day, I usually start winding down by either doing something with my sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., or finding a good movie to watch before cooking dinner. For dinner, I will either go all out and spend an hour in the kitchen preparing a Michelin-star recipe or I’ll just throw my favorite butter chicken frozen meal in the microwave and call it a night. Five nights out of seven, I am preparing a meal from scratch or eating leftovers from those meals. I usually eat salmon twice a week and maybe chicken or shrimp at other times. If you want to see some of my favorite dinners, visit my Instagram page @aeplife to see what I’m up to!
9 p.m. – It may not seem like it but 9 p.m. is still pretty early for me. At this point in the day, I like to plan what I might want to cook next week or I take this time to work on the assignments that I didn’t finish earlier in the day. This is also a good time to squeeze in a 45 minute workout. If I can get to a treadmill or outdoor trail, I like to walk a 5k a few times a week and I sometimes supplement that with a HIIT workout or my favorite Body Alive class. When I want to work out but the gyms are closed, I have no issue pulling up an at-home workout like Pilates, Power Yoga, Tabata, Barre, or really anything to get my body moving.
As you can see, my day is about 50% exercise and cooking, 40% working, and 10% hitting snooze on my alarm.
Midnight – This time is crucial for me. Once the clock hits midnight, I have to decide if I want to pull up another documentary to watch on YouTube or if I should work ahead of my Canvas calendar and get some work done. Being the night owl that I am, I sometimes watch the sun come up because my body did not want to shut down that night. Nighttime is when I get my most creative ideas, so sometimes, I read an interesting book. Other times, I might teach myself all of the features on Canva. It really depends on where my mind wanders. My favorite midnight activity is getting on Disney+ and turning on an old movie for a taste of nostalgia. Around 2 a.m., I finally go to sleep for the night then wake up in the morning to do it all over again.