A day in the life of a 3rd year Computer Science student

Hey! I’m Garv, a final-year Computer Science student at TMU, and also in my third year. I was able to complete my degree in three years because I’d received transfer credits through my A level education in high school, and am continuing university with an overloaded course load, allowing me to be a year ahead. As someone about to graduate into a pretty unpredictable job market (while also trying to make the most out of my final year), I’m usually always doing something! Whether that be going to networking events, juggling between meetings (student group and external stuff), going to classes or just hanging out with friends.

Since I am focused on so many different things, my calendar gives me a mix of joy and dread. I like to track everything and stay organized, which definitely helps me keep up with the chaos of balancing academics, projects and navigating my day-to-day.

I wake up depending on what my earliest time commitments are. Usually, this is around 8 a.m. - 10 a.m., where I get up and get ready for the day. My mornings are usually pretty slow, until I realize I might be late for class!

I live close to campus, so I usually like taking my time walking to campus. The commute is beautiful during the fall, but I end up not liking as much the colder it gets! I have a tendency to procrastinate without deadlines, so I like to get to class and lock in for the start of the day.

Some of my favourite courses have been CPS 305: Data Structures, CPS 616: Algorithms, and CPS 721: Artificial Intelligence. These fundamentally changed the way I approach and think about problems, which has been a really interesting experience for me!

Because I live close to campus, I usually run home to grab a quick lunch whenever I find time between classes. This varies depending on my schedule, but usually it happens between 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. I like to cook dinner at night and make enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day, which saves me a lot of time and effort, especially on those days where I have back-to-back things going on.

I’ve been working on a few projects outside of school and work that also take up my time, such as a mobile app called orbit to help friends stay in touch. I end up working on them between lectures when I get the opportunity. A lot of my planning involves shuffling my schedule to prioritize events that can result in career opportunities. My schedule has a lot of moving parts, and over the years, I have developed the confidence to balance all my different responsibilities to make my schedule work for me. 

I also try to stay active throughout my days, which usually involves a lot of walking. I average 10,000 steps a day, and I try to exercise about 1-2 hours a week. Usually, this includes playing badminton or volleyball during drop-in with friends after class at the Recreation and Athletic Centre (RAC). Sometimes, I like to switch it up — recently, I tried the salsa dance class based on my friend’s recommendation and now it’s a regular part of my routine!

I love meeting new people, so I try my best to go to any events that welcome me, which includes external and company-run events, as well as student group events. 

There are some commitments that are a regular part of my weekly routine, including attending meetings for Google Developer Groups @ TMU (external link) , a student group where I am now the President. We aim to build a passionate developer community on campus: hosting events like workshops, hackathons, keynotes, networking events, etc. I recently hosted my first kickoff event as president, and it was really great to see people break the ice and have conversations while enjoying free food! I love that I’m able to create third spaces to build more community. I also go to events hosted by other groups such as the TMU Algorithms & Coding Club (external link)  and the CS Course Union (external link)  where we code problems or have trivia nights!

I love being in the heart of Toronto, because it lets me attend many developer focused events with ease! This week, I went into the office space of Rakuten Kobo for a fun nerdy event! I also attend events from organizations like Shopify, QueerTech Toronto and TechTank Toronto, which are hosted by passionate people.

A friend group of mine also tries to meet once a week for a meal — usually breakfast early in the mornings, or dinner at a tame 9 p.m. time, which has been a really wholesome experience! I love spending quality time with my close friends.

Since I’m in my last year, I’ve been trying to really balance everything. I’m spending quality time with my friends, focusing on my career and pursuing projects that excite me. It’s definitely a bit of a juggling act, but it’s made me realize that university is really what you make out of it. I’ve been keeping myself busy so that I can look back at my time in university and be happy with how I spent it!