Everybody loves free stuff, especially broke college students! So I’ve got a few helpful suggestions for all of you gals, and guys, going home for break this week!
1) Check out your town
No matter where you grew up you can always find something new around the corner whether it be a new coffee shop, museum, park, boutique, or even a cool graffiti wall. Change up the scenery, admire your town and look for new perspectives!
2) Find a new artist to listen to!
Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, and Apple Music are all awesome for listening to your favorite artists on repeat, or even ones similar to them! But change it up! Now is your chance to listen to music from genres you would never typically choose. You never know, you may just discover how much you love 70’s Rock ‘n Roll.
3) Meditate and focus on your goals
College is stressful, I know this and I’m only a freshman! With a few days of completely free time, meditate. Relax and enjoy getting a break from the crazy life before we’re thrown back into it! Also, take this time to focus on your goals, whether they be long term or just for the semester. Meditating is about entering a state of total relaxation where your body and mind are one. Let your body relax and your mind float, don’t stress out too much about school or work or anything else, just be calm and happy with yourself.
4) Figure out what your gonna do after college!
After you’ve relaxed and thought about your goals, think about your life plan. I’m saying think about where you wanna be in five, ten, or even fifteen years. Now is the time to think about what kind of career you want after college, where you want to settle in, what kind of company you see yourself working for, if you’re a family girl or an independent woman. Whenever you have extra time on your hands, plan for your future!
5) Cook and eat!
You finally have a real kitchen in your reach, USE IT!!! I love cooking, in fact I grew up thinking I would become a chef. I live in a dorm where we share everything from the laundry, to the bathrooms and the kitchen. It’s horrible, but I manage. When you get home for break, cook. Even if you’re just making grilled cheeses or spaghetti you’re probably cooking more than you ever do at school. If you don’t know how to cook or you’re destined to set the stove on fire, learn. There are plenty of YouTube and Food Network shows to teach you everything from simple mac ‘n cheese to the most complex Beef Wellington. Also, take this time to truly appreciate your mom or dad’s homemade meals (and bring Tupperware)!
6) Workout
The freshman fifteen is real for many people and one way to combat this horrific plague is to work out whenever you have the chance. You have almost an entire week free to do whatever pleases you; so go to the gym! If you don’t have a gym membership do some yoga or simple moves at home and then go for a jog around the neighborhood. There are plenty of things you could do to workout your entire body instead of sitting on the couch, watching Grey’s Anatomy all week. Pinterest is great for finding fun and easy moves that take anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour!
7) Read something
This is a hobby so many people overlook because they believe it is boring or time consuming. I think it is one of the best things to do with your free time because you’re still exercising your brain, but you can choose a book on pretty much anything in the entire world! I have a huge book collection so I intend on purging mine, but if you’re a newcomer to the literary world I suggest hitting up your local public library or bookshop. There are plenty of hidden novelties in those places! Also, if your town has a Barnes and Noble, find a good book and go to a quiet, secluded corner to read without having to actually purchase the book, no one will find you and kick you out!
8) Catch up on homework and get ahead in assignments
Almost every professor puts the assignment due dates on their syllabus or calendar so check those out! Make sure you’re up to date on all of your homework assignments and quizzes. If you have something coming up, go ahead and do it. When you get back to school you’ll be ahead of the game, while everyone else is stressing.
9) Visit friends and family or make some!
Going home means seeing people from your past, this could be good or bad! Make it good and see the people you get along with, like your close family and friends. If you don’t have anyone you can reconnect with, go out around your town or look at online sites such as, Meetup, where you can meet new people who are interested in the same hobbies as you!
10) Watch your favorite shows again or pick up a new one
Everyone has a favorite TV series or a few, mine are The Originals and Shadowhunters! Take this time to finish a series you’re currently watching on Netflix or rewatch one of your top picks! You can also find great suggestions on Netflix and Hulu based on what you typically watch! Just browse around and have fun, if you don’t like it you can always choose something else!
11) Play with animals
If you have a pet spend every waking moment you have with them before you return to school. Our pets are our babies and we need to show them love just as much as we need them to show us love. Take your pet with you on walks, to the pet store, to the park, literally everywhere you go! Be that crazy lady with a bird on her shoulder or a snake around her neck, it doesn’t matter what your pet is, LOVE them! If you don’t have an animal at home, go the dog park or hangout at a garden and watch the birds! Just surround yourself with lovely animals this week!
12) Hangout outside
When you’re taking your pet for a walk, check out your local park or garden. There are so many cool plants and animals that you can discover in the wildlife around you! You never know, you may even find a new place to relax and read a book when you come home for breaks from now!
13) Take photos/Learn photograph
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” This is so true, photography is one of the many ways we communicate in the modern world. Think about how many times you take a photo in a day or a week for: Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, etc. We all know you’re gonna be taking picture this week to celebrate having no classes, might as well perfect them and figure out the best lighting, angles and filters to use! If you take this time to perfect your instagram just think about how jealous everyone at school will be of your newfound skills!
14) Write
I am a writer so this may sound biased but I swear it’s true! Writing allows you to be free, you can write down anything and everything that pops into your mind without having to filter it because it’ll be for your eyes only. If you want to be creative you can write a story or a poem. If you want to be serious you can journal your college experience or your fall break. You’ll have these pieces forever so have fun and be yourself. No one will ever have to see them but make sure you have them saved somewhere secure so that you can read them in 20 years and remember what it was like to be a college student!
15) Clean out your social media
Everyone is allowed to have fun and document it, but keep it off your social media account! It’s important if you want a job in the future because employers will see what all you were up to in college and most likely judge you based off of this! So keep it clean, once it’s on the internet it’s there forever but if you have some unflattering photos or unwarranted posts then get rid of them as quickly as possible. It’ll be better for you and your future employer when the time comes, trust me!
16) Read Her Campus!!!
Duh… The ladies of Her Campus are amazing, genuine girls and their articles are both creative and entertaining. You can find just about anything on the Her Campus website from fashion and beauty advice to current events and news! So check out the works of the national website and support the girls of the Winthrop chapter! You may even find some more suggestions for fall break activities!
Overall have a fun and safe Fall Break collegiettes! Tag @hcwinthrop in all your pictures of your adventures!