There’s a world full of possibilities of things to do at college besides just sitting around watching Netflix, stuffing your face with pizza, or even both. This is the time to really get to know yourself and explore. The world is in your hands right now. Don’t let it slip between your fingers before you realize it. College is the time that students have the most freedom and the least amount of responsibilities. Use it to your advantage. Find out who you are and what you like. Would you rather lie in your bed all day watching episode after episode of that old TV series or would you rather have an adventure? Even if it’s not that exciting, here are some suggestions to be more productive.
- Take a walk down to the park.
It’s great exercise and you get to window shop on the way down? Now that’s a win-win.
- Catch up with a friend at the local café.
Spend the night mindlessly chatting away over a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate in a super cozy setting.
- Hit the gym.
Make time for yourself. Exercise can do wonders for your body and it’s a great stress reliever.
- Grab a few friends and play some pool.
Because why not? If you’re good at it, then it’ll make for an interesting game. If you’re not, then it’d be the perfect time to work on your skills.
- Bake a nice dessert that will make you wish you really hadn’t.
Head to the kitchen (or someone else’s kitchen) and make that dessert you found on Pinterest last week.
- Study for the exam coming up.
That’s right. ACTUALLY study. Set an incentive for yourself. Maybe if you and a friend get that A, then you’ll treat yourselves to some ice cream, regardless of the weather outside.
- Go to that Judo class that you didn’t even realize your school offered.
Don’t believe me. Go check.
- Sit in the Starbucks lounge and read the school newspaper.
As cliché as it may sound, the school newspaper may provide you with events happening around school, events happening around the world, some strong opinions of your fellow peers, and more.
- Find your camera and take a cute outdoor photoshoot.
Face it, you’re not in grade school anymore. No one’s going to take your picture for the year book, so you may as well take your own.
- Study abroad for a semester.
Do something that scares you. What can be scarier and more rewarding than spending a few months in a different country studying and traveling?
- Have a game of racquetball.
Yep. That’s right. Racquetball. Just try not to get hit in the face in the process.
- Host a game night with your best buds.
Play any game. Play every game. Play those good old games from your childhood or those new ones that you learned in college. Either will do.
- Join that club you always wanted to but didn’t think you had the time for.
Make time. Doing the things that you enjoy is what makes your college experience well worth it.
- Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while.
Call anyone! Your parents, your grandparents, your significant other, your friend you haven’t seen in years, your siblings, your cousins, your old exchange student, your pet, your best friend that lives three doors down, your neighbor, whoever! In a world where we now rely on texting, it’s nice to hear someone else’s voice occasionally.
- Cook something in a mug in your microwave.
Who cares how it turns out? Even if you only do it to take that cute picture of the new mug you bought last week!
- Set aside one day to play monopoly.
I dare you. Set up food and drinks and spend the day trying to claim everyone else’s monopoly money.
- Go to that yoga class at the rec center.
Every week is stressful in college life, so use that yoga class to your advantage. Get knotted in that weird pose, breathe, and let it all go.
- Spend the night in with yourself.
Learn to enjoy your own company. Take a nice hot shower, use that foot scrub you always forget you brought with you, pull on your comfiest pajamas, make some popcorn, and watch a movie.
- Play one giant game of hide-n-go-seek all over campus.
Need I say more?
- Pull an all-nighter putting together an insanely hard puzzle.
If you’re someone who thinks puzzles are easy, try one that is all one solid color. By the time 6 am comes, you’ll all be ready to head down to the dinner and order some great breakfast.
- Take that Zumba class.
It’s great exercise and you’ll probably have fun in the process of learning some cool new moves.
- Give your room a makeover.
This can be something as small as painting a canvas to hang above your bed or as big as rearranging the furniture in your room (just make sure you have approval if you have any roommates).
- Take a walk in the middle of the night.
The best time to do this is perhaps when it’s snowing outside. Whatever the weather, be sure to follow the buddy system though as campus can be kind of questionable at 3 o’clock in the morning.
- Go hiking.
If there are no good places around campus, try hitting up someone with a car to get to a place that you can go hiking. If nothing else, do it just to enjoy the view.
- Go geocaching.
Try your luck with this real-life treasure hunt! All you need to do is download a geocaching app, pick a destination, and have a small item ready to exchange and a pencil to log your name when you do find it.
- Go to a school football game and cheer on your school’s team.
Show some school spirit, besides, you’ll only be able to attend your school’s football games while you are still in school for so long.
- Make a blanket fort.
Invite a friend over and create the wildest blanket fort ever because there are no parents to tell you “no” here.
- Learn a new skill.
There are a ton of new skills to learn in your college years: knitting/crocheting, playing an instrument, learning how to draw, dancing, managing time. You’re only limited by your imagination.
- Have a late-night study session at the library.
The best part about campus libraries is that a lot of them stay open extra late for all those procrastinators out there. Grab a group of friends and study the night away.
- Go on a spontaneous road trip!
Go on a day trip to the museum or go on a weekend trip to New York City. Sometimes the most spontaneous ideas can be the most memorable.