Student Christian Hjarpe shares a day in his life at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida

My name is Christian Hjarpe, I am 23 years old, and I am an international student from Sweden. For almost two years, I have lived in Tampa, Florida, and attended Hillsborough Community College (HCC). 

I started my academic career at HCC as a Mass Communication Major, but I have since switched to Business with a focus on Marketing. I chose to study at HCC because my sister came here to study some years ago, and she really recommended it. I also hadn't lived close to her for almost 10 years, so it was a good motivation to be able to live near her again. 

In this blog post, I will tell you what a day in my life as an international HCC student looks like.

Typical Tuesday Schedule

My day usually starts at 7:00 AM. This is mostly because I work part-time in the campus bookstore, and I like to have morning shifts. I also have morning classes two days of the week, so it is a consistent routine.

Head out to work

After I get ready, I start brewing my morning coffee. I usually take my coffee to go. I arrive at the bookstore sometime between 7:30 and 7:40 AM, and I will count my register and begin my shift. My shift could be quite hectic or very calm, depending on where we are in the semester. Usually, at the start of a new semester, the bookstore will be packed with students, so that can be stressful. But I enjoy talking to people, so it is usually a good time anyway.

Lunch and then classes

After my shift, I’ll go back home to change out of my work clothes and have a late breakfast. My classes start in the early afternoon so by then I will be back on campus. I will go to my lectures and try my best to listen attentively because getting good grades is important to me as an international student. Plus, I am hoping to receive some scholarships down the road. My lectures are usually over at around 4:00 PM, and I start making my way back to the student apartments.

Time for exercise

When I get home, I will have my second meal of the day to have energy for my evening workout. At this point, I do some homework, while waiting for my pre-workout meal to digest. When I am ready to work out, I usually do a combination of running and lifting weights. I really enjoy both long-distance running and bodybuilding-style workouts. It may be an odd combination, but it works for me and keeps me happy and fit. I’ll either go for a run outside or on the treadmill (depending on the weather), and then I’ll lift weights at the student gym in my dorm. After my workout, I usually try to get some more homework done before dinner.

Homework and then relaxing

I like to keep my weekends homework-free, so my weekdays will usually end late at night because I try to get everything done by Friday. Roughly around 8:00-9:00 PM, I finish up my homework for the day, and then it is time to relax. I enjoy this schedule a lot, and it keeps me productive.

Because I live in the student apartments, it is really easy to socialize. I have a big group of awesome friends that I enjoy spending time with. There are people from all over the world who also live in the apartments on campus. So, some days I’ll hang out with them for a bit, or I’ll just disconnect by scrolling on social media or playing video games. My days usually end at around midnight, and I try to be asleep before 1:00 AM.

I’m happy at HCC

A regular day like this might sound like a lot of work, but it's honestly very fun! I am super glad I made the jump to study at HCC, and I am loving all the opportunities and friendships that I've made here. It has been very educational in an academic sense, but also in a life experience type of way. I would recommend HCC to anyone, because I’ve enjoyed the experience immensely so far, and I am very happy with my daily routines.

Thank you for reading about my “day in the life!” I hope it was informative and interesting.

Christian Hjarpe from Sweden lives in Tampa, Florida, and studies Business with a focus on Marketing at Hillsborough Community College (HCC).