By Taegan Hardy
Waking up to go to school isn’t all glitz and glamor. Somedays I would much rather hit the snooze button on my alarm and sleep in a little later than I usually do. With ASUPD, I am able to do just that.
ASUPD gives you flexibility with your schedule, and my school days are always a chose your own adventure. For example, yesterday was a Wednesday so I had ballet from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. Today I had to get up around 7 am to go take my PSAT. Considering ASUPD allows you to create your own schedule, I was able to do more work earlier this week to rest my mind and body today.
On an average day, I wake up an hour before my live lesson (LL). I grab my breakfast and usually eat before and/or during the class. I’ll brush my teeth, make some tea, and begin my homework. Occasionally I’ll break for an hour long lunch, but most days I bring it to my desk as I continue working.
My favorite part of my day is ballet class. I take a technique class on Monday and as shown on the picture provided, pointe, a standard level class, and variations. I’ll usually begin getting ready two hours before class so I am able to get dressed, do my skin care, make up, get to the studio, and tie my pointe shoes in the lobby. On the days I don’t go to class I try my best to do some stretching and conditioning on my own.
One of my biggest challenges as an ASUPD student is time management. I’m neurodivergent, so I often can’t stick to schedules. I
add my classes and DBA’s to a calendar, however making a set to-do list has never been for me. I have no idea when I may have an OCD attack or find myself doom scrolling. My best tactic for working around this is creating a list of all my unfinished work, including the assignments I have for the week, and simply crossing each assignment until the end of the semester. It allows me to breath and work on things one by one instead of pressuring myself to get a certain amount of work done in one day.
To stay motivated I remind myself what I’m working for. I was enrolled here at ASUPD during the pandemic and decided to stay to reach my goals. When I do homework I like to imagine I’m writing something for my dream job. Everyday for me is unpredictable, but being a student here online allows me to have my beautifully chaotic, unpredictable days.
