“A Day in the Life of an English Major” is pretty much what it says on the tin: A look at how the elusive Rice English major spends their time each day. Do they really spend six hours a day reading Mark Twain up in a tree, as the pre-med students suspect? Do they hide out in the library waxing poetic about Sylvia Plath, like the Econ majors hypothesize? Find out in this month’s edition of “A Day in the Life of an English Major.”
Hello, dear readers, and welcome back to “Day in the Life.” If you haven’t been here before, today’s a great day to start reading this column, because we have a phenomenal feature student for this month’s edition! Alyssa Bernadette Cahoy is a junior from Sid Richardson double majoring in English and Health Sciences, with a Medical Humanities Minor. Born in the Philippines, she moved to the U.S. as a kid and went to high school in Pearland before coming to Rice. She’s President of the Medical Humanities Club, an officer in Anakbayan Rice, and a Sid Rich Head Academic Fellow. This year she’s applying for grad school programs in behavioral science, health services research, or the history of medicine.
Let’s check out a typical day in the life for Alyssa:
8 AM- Crazily enough, I don’t need to use an alarm clock. My body wakes me up naturally most mornings between 6:30 AM and 8:00 AM. In one of my kinesiology classes, we’re doing a project where we try to incorporate healthy mindfulness practices into our day, so I try to start the day with a glass of water and a moment to clear my head.
8:30 AM- I have an internship with Dr. Cassandra Diep at M.D. Anderson this semester, so I usually have check-in meetings with her and other supervisors around this time. We’re working on a few research manuscripts about a study done on the cancer burden in the five biggest Asian populations in Houston. I’m grateful to be a part of a project so closely aligned with my interests.
9:00 AM- After my meeting, I get ready for the day. My dog, Shifu, likes to climb onto my bed and hang out while I pick out an outfit and do my makeup. I love trying out different styles, but my outfits are very dependent on how I feel for that day and not necessarily in accordance with the weather.
10:00 AM- My commute starts now and lasts around half an hour. While I’m in the car, I tend to listen to K-Pop artists like DPR Live, IU, and Bibi.
10:45 AM- The first class of the day for me is a combined grad and undergrad course called “Translational Humanities for Public Health” with Dr. Ostherr. It’s really challenging conceptually because it’s a new, exploratory field, so we spend more time discussing possible implications rather than established trains of thought.
12:00 PM- Lunchtime! My favorite time of the day. I usually try to make plans with my friends in advance so that I can meet up with them at one of the serveries. It’s always Seibel or South, though. I’m an upperclassman; I don’t have the energy to walk that far, you know?
1:00 PM- At one, I have another class with Dr. Diep called “Foundations of Health Promotion and Education”. Even though I consider myself more of a listener than a talker, she delivers the material in a way that makes me excited to talk about it. She’s a wonderful conversation facilitator.
2:30 PM- Now we switch over to the English major side! My next class is “Line of Love” with Dr. Sarah Ellenzweig. It’s a public writing seminar themed around 17th century romantic poetry, and what’s interesting is that it’s formatted like a workshop, so we get to read and edit each other’s pieces. Our class has built up a great rapport, and it’s such an engaging course.
4:00 PM- After class, I head over for a volunteer shift at the Rice Women’s Resource Center. I’ve been volunteering there since (my) freshman year, and I think it’s a nice oasis in the RMC because everything else is kind of loud. I love getting to choose the music to play there. I usually play The Marías, Faye Webster, things like that.
5:30 PM- Now I head to Fondy (Fondren Library) for my shift as a consultant at CAPC, the Center for Academic and Professional Communications. I started out as a receptionist— living my Pam Beesly dreams— and now as a consultant, I get to help other students perfect their essays, oral presentations, or scholarship apps. My colleagues are definitely the best part: They’re friendly, passionate and hilarious.
6:30 PM- I try to leave around this time to avoid after-work traffic. Once I get home, it’s dinner time. I often eat with my family, but if not, I watch an episode of the latest K-Drama on my phone. I have a full spreadsheet of K-Dramas that I’ve watched and want to watch, but my particular favorites are the ones that have a sort of female anti-hero. I also really like the show It’s Okay to Not Be Okay because it has such an accurate, caring portrayal of mental health.
8:30 PM- Now it’s time for class readings, which I always save for last. I should probably do them earlier, but that never happens. I don’t like doing anything in silence, so I really need the sound of a fan or some classical music to help me work. I’m currently in love with this “Amore mio aiutami” playlist on Spotify. My mom likes it too, so you know it’s good.
12:00 AM- After a night-time skincare routine, I finally go to bed around midnight. I like to put on instrumentals, specifically 528 hertz to fall asleep. I saw it on TikTok once and doubted it, but it works! I’m usually knocked out within 15 minutes of my head hitting the pillow. So that’s my day!
Come back next month for another issue of “A Day in the Life of an English Major.” Any English major who wants to be featured in an upcoming issue can let us know via the Submissions page. Until next time!