My name is Pia Priestley and I’m a communication student in the Bachelor of Communication¹ at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. So, what does a day in the life of a communication student look like? Well, I don’t have class every day – and no day is quite the same as another. Being a communication student isn’t typical – and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Morning

8am So, first thing’s first: I get up, have a shower, get dressed and head downstairs to finish making my overnight oats (I started the prep the night before). I live on Chifley which is the newer res on Bathurst campus. I live in a dorm with around 30 other people all studying an array of degrees and majors and we come from lots of towns across Australia. We have two shared kitchens and common rooms, so depending on how busy it is, I might go into the other kitchen to prep my food.  Some days I’ll meet with friends and buy breakfast at the on-campus café. Then I will drive to class (or walk if I have plenty of time!).

9am I attend class – which is my event management subject. Each week, we learn about a new component that needs to be considered when planning an event. This is the lead up to our final assessment, where we have to make an event manual. This event manual is based around the Cool Climate Wine Show held in Bathurst. We liaise with the event organiser to gauge their vision for the event and what they desire to have included. We then follow these guidelines to create our vision for the event.

Early afternoon

12noon By the time this class ends, my tummy is grumbling – which means it’s time for more food! I grab lunch at the dining hall with some friends. This is a good time to catch up with mates who live off campus.

1pm My friends and I head off to our second class of the day – advertising creative. In this class, we learn about how to formulate a strong idea and what comprises an effective advertisement. Today, we’re looking at body copy and how the writing of an advertisement helps to convey the meaning of an image. We do this by comparing an array of successful campaigns and finding the common themes between them. We then take these themes and apply them to an example brief provided by our teacher to create our own advertisements. It’s a fun class!

Late afternoon

3pm After that class (if I don’t have much work to do), I’ll head to the gym.
As a communication student, it’s really important to stay active and keep your body and mind in balance. It’s a really good way to check in with yourself. I decided to not play a sport this year, so I’d have more time to work and earn some cash. I work as a casual in retail and hospitality, along with some Student Ambassador work for the uni. By working as a casual at a few different places, it gives me more opportunity and flexibility to work at different times throughout the week.

4pm I go to the shops to buy my ingredients for dinner and anything else I might need. I find that I go to the shops nearly every day – which works for me! If I do one big shop per week, I tend to throw a lot of food out. There isn’t always room in my fridge for everything. So daily trips to the supermarket are part of my routine!

4.30pm I go back to my dorm and have a shower. I use this time to do any reading or notes that I need to catch up on from class. If I have no work to do, I will float around the dorm and see my friends that are home. Or I will watch some YouTube.

Evening

6pm Now I head downstairs and start getting dinner ready. I love this time because this is when the common room is the liveliest. I chat with my friends about their day and get to know some of the people in the dorm that I don’t get the chance to talk with all that often.

7pm When dinner is ready, I sit down to eat at the table with friends or on the couch and watch TV. When MasterChef is on, my friends and I make a ritual out of watching it.

7.30pm I clean up my dishes and put everything away. If something interesting is on TV or lots of people are in the common room, I will hang around and socialise. If it is a quieter night, I will head up to my room and watch some Netflix in bed. Sometimes I will head to the library if I need to get work done but I try to give myself a deadline of 9pm to finish my uni work for the day.

Night

9pm Now I get ready for bed, brush my teeth and watch some Netflix until I am ready to sleep. Sometimes my days are a lot busier than this and I don’t get much time to talk to friends. But when I do it is a great way to unwind, forget about uni work and have a laugh. Tomorrow I don’t have class. So I’ll head to the library to get some work done and do my readings before my classes later in the week. As a communication student all of my classes prescribe texts to be read before class as an introduction to what we learn that week. They are a great way to stay on top of content and give you a chance to ask questions in class for clarification. And that’s a day in the life of a communication student!

Want to become a communication student?

Want to become a communication student like Pia and follow your passion for all things media? You’ll find a rewarding career in the communication and creative industries. From advertising and public relations to photography and graphic design, you’ll find the right course for you at Charles Sturt University. Let’s get to work!

¹Cricos: 0101020