16 credits worth of classes. I taking my last couple of credits to graduate. That comes out to 17 hours in class a week. They come with reading assignments, homework, quizzes, and dreadful tests.
Mentored Research on Penstemon. Good for one credit, I spend 3 hours a week growing plants, running genetic experiments, mutating plants, watering plants, and listening to the other lab workers gossip.
Work at a TA. 6 hours of office time where students come and get help with homework and test and so forth. Also I go to that class two hours a week. Sometimes I put in some extra time if there are a lot of students needing help like this week with a test coming up.
Work as a research assistant. Any extra time I can spend in the lab not helping students I work on analyzing samples from hobble creek for a restoration study. I organize the other 3 students working in the lab to keep us coordinated. I also do odd jobs for the professor.
Preparing for a field study in the spring. As the TA there are lots of little tasks like mapping travel routes, applying for permits and making advertisements. Just a couple hours a week
Work as a Writing Fellow. I am tutoring 9 students in Bio 347 on their writing assignment. I receive papers from them which I read and correct and then return to them. I then meet one on one with each student. I happen to be the senior fellow in the class so I also supervise the other two tutors.
Work as a Writing Fellow staff member. I attend weekly staff meetings and send out the weekly announcements. I’m over a few committees like the archive committee and the mid-semester social committee.
Presenting a workshop for other Writing Fellows. Just an hour lesson on some skill to help Writing Fellows be better tutors. Just takes a little bit of prep time.
Between all those work assignments I have to clock around 20 hours a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less.
Supporting roommates as they have birthdays and fulfill their callings. Mostly small things like going to FHE each week instead of skipping it or showing up when they throw parties.
Running the Ward Activities committee. Everyone wants to help but no one wants to think of things to do. Someone has to do the delegating. This week was the ward talent show. I put someone else in charge but still had to schedule rooms, handle communication and publicity, arrange equipment, run the sound booth and get programs printed and make sure the things I did delegate happened. At least this time I didn’t get on a microphone so I was a little less public in my doings.
Webmaster for the Environmental Science Club. Mostly just updating activity info on the webpage but I do other odd jobs too. We are going camping next week so there are a lot of details to handle there. I also have to announce activities in classes
Home Teacher. Don’t forget you have to have your first visit done by the 15th!
Cleaning checks. Once a month you got to clean that bathroom.
Dating. Remember how you aren’t married yet? You have to fix that.
Honors Thesis. I have 30 pages to research and write in the next 6 weeks. I also have to write 7 more great works responses. I delayed graduation for this and now I must do it. You still have two books to read too.
Scripture reading. Ward goal to finish the Book of Mormon by Easter. Don’t let yourself fall too far behind. The bishop also wants us to memorize The Living Christ. The Stake President wants us to bring one name to the temple this semester.
Housing. You have to find a new place to live in April and again for August.
Scholarships. Don’t forget that applications are due in two weeks.
Laundry. Sometimes it becomes the most important thing on the list
Dinner group. You promised to feed 8 people once every 2 weeks.
Grad School. You have an application submitted and you are awaiting a reply. While you have a good application nothing is certain.
Friends. I still have a duty to my friends. I must be there when they need me. To support them in times of trial and success. It may be a late night or a mission call but I can sacrifice a bike ride now and then.
Family. Not people I see on a weekly basis but they are an influence in everything I do.
These are a few of the things that make up my life right now. This week I had to do all of them and it nearly destroyed me. Long ago I developed the standard that if my life ever became too busy for me to eat lunch then I was doing something wrong. I’ve skipped lunch too many times this week.
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