Monday, November 02, 2026
Student Blog: A Fresh Start - Creating Routine While Navigating a New Life
BroadwayWorld: Freshman year is something very true to its name - a complete fresh start. Many of us have moved across state lines, away from any family and communities we’ve grown up with, all to pursue big dreams of careers in musical theater. To be honest, I still have to Google my new zip code every time I fill out a form. Essentially this is the biggest change in many of our lives so far and we have to try to make new friends, adjust to our new homes and find some semblance of normalcy in a completely new life - all while making sure we wake up for 8AM music theory. It’s a transition that is really no joke. So creating systems and routines is essential for success academically, artistically and socially.
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3 comments:
I think this is really good advice for freshmen because, for me, adjusting to college has been about so much more than just keeping up with my classes. Moving away from home means figuring out how to manage your time, make friends, and take care of yourself in ways that you never realized your parents did for you. I especially agree that routines should be personalized instead of forcing yourself into a schedule that doesn’t work for you. College students have different priorities and workloads, so what works for one person might not work for someone else. I’ve definitely learned that a lot of times, my routine doesn’t line up with the schedule of my non-SoD friends. I also like that the article emphasizes rest and leaving room for fun experiences. For me, I always feel like I need to be productive 24/7, but I’ve realized that some of the best college experiences can come from spontaneity. Overall, I think that as outlined in the article can help make college feel less overwhelming.
I think having a schedule is an extremely important part of living independently with a busy schedule. Especially here at Carnegie Mellon University having a schedule and plan is crucial to being successful. One of the first things I did when school started was make a schedule for the entire semester with all my classes and every assignment when to start it and when it’s due. Having everything I need in one spot to look at in an organized fashion really helped me stay on top of my work without being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things I needed to do. A benefit of also being on top of my work with an organized schedule is that I am not working on assignments every minute of the day. There is time to rest and doom scroll without being stressed by the next project or homework assignment. Creating a consistent schedule can really help with keeping a stable mindset.
I always seem to struggle with creating a productive routine even before I went off to college. My mind always seems to wander to whatever it wants to do at the moment. This could be schoolwork or working on an upcoming deadline, but is more likely to be something not productive to what I should be doing. What has been helpful for me coming to college is really emphasizing a comprehensive personal calendar. Even in high school I kept a good personal calendar, but I only really put major stuff onto it. Medical Appointments, dinners, etc. Now I really throw my whole life onto it. Daily classes, crew calls, appointments, work hours, special lunch/dinners, classwork due dates or presentations, laundry schedule, breaks, flights, trips, travel, and anything else I forgot. Google Calendar is really the cornerstone of my college career right now. An unfortunate side effect is I am reminded daily how little free time to just do only what I want to do. The only thing I don’t include is my sleep schedule, but there is no planning that.
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