6:45am - My jarring phone alarm blares, pulling me out of a dense sleep. I fumble to shut it off, the bright screen searing my barely open eyes. The crisp morning air raises goosebumps on my bare arms as I throw off the warm cocoon of my comforter.

7:30am - I shuffle blearily into the kitchen, lured by the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee. The bitter liquid's warmth spreading through my body is an instant revival. Gulping it down, I try to drown out my roommate's off-key singing reverberating from the shower.

9:00am - Settling into the familiarly rigid classroom desks, the drone of the professor's voice slowly brings the material into focus. I squeeze my eyes shut, straining to concentrate over the clickety-clack of feverish typing all around me.

11:30am - Freedom! I emerge from the stuffy lecture hall, squinting against the bright sunshine beating down. The lawn is a churning sea of students, the air alive with laughter and shouting. Making my way through the crowds, the pungent aroma of greasy food wafts from the direction of the dining hall.

1:15pm - The dull roar of the library envelops me as I claim a secluded study carrel. For hours, there is only the sound of my pencil scratching furiously and the intermittent rustling of turning pages.

6:00pm - Retreating from the library, the setting sun paints the sky in brilliant oranges and pinks. Crossing the darkened campus, my sneakers crunch over stray pebbles. The hills in the distance are silhouetted against the cotton candy sky.

7:30pm - In my cramped dorm room, I peel off my sweatshirt, grimacing at the stale stench of a long day's wear. My roommate's music thumps through the paper-thin walls as I collapse onto my narrow bed, body aching with fatigue.

10:45pm - Cupping a steaming mug of herbal tea, I settle in for a late-night study grind. The comforting scent of chamomile barely registers over the blaring TV in the common room next door. I'll be running on fumes, but at least I'll be caffeinated fumes.