The life of a college student: our schedules are either jam packed with tests, essays and club meetings, or our schedule is wide open for midnight pizza and Gossip Girl. As finals season is very much upon us, though, there isn’t much time to breathe, let alone get stuff done beyond studying piles of index cards and lecture notes.
However, at the end of finals comes an entire month free of educational obligations. Here’s a list of productive things you can do during winter break.
Update your resume
Having an up-to-date resume will save you time later on when you are applying for jobs and internships. Add new leadership positions, new jobs, new volunteer opportunities, etc. You will thank yourself later when you can just hit “attach file” rather than spending hours reformatting.
Apply for internships
A free schedule means that you have ample time to fill out application after application for the perfect summer internship.
Volunteer
You can call your local animal shelter or soup kitchen and spend your free time helping other people. Alternatively, you can look for some volunteer programs in Columbia to sign up for when you return home. Mizzou Alternative Breaks is a good way to do this. Volunteering looks good on a resume and it also makes you feel good to help others.
Create or update your online portfolio
If you are a writer or artist, having an online portfolio is a good idea. This gives employers the opportunity to view your work conveniently. Create a new one or update your existing one over break.
Clean your makeup brushes
Be honest, how long have your brushes and beauty blenders sat caked in foundation and finishing powder? Spend a morning washing your brushes in a solution of olive oil and dawn dish soap. Your skin will thank you later.
Spend time journaling
Throughout the school year, it can be challenging to keep up with journaling every day. Try keeping up with the habit over the break. Journaling can serve as self-therapy and help you get the things you want to say off your chest without actually having to talk to someone about it.
Go through your closet
If you’re living at school, your home closet may be a mixture of prom dresses and shirts that didn’t make the cut. Go through your closet and get rid of everything that you don’t wear anymore. You can donate the items to Goodwill or consign the items and make a buck or two.
Clean out your inbox
We’ve all been there. Our inboxes have reached the point of over a thousand email messages. Take advantage of the free time and delete any emails that you no longer need to access. This will start your new year out freshly decluttered.
Update your driver’s license
Chances are that you haven’t had your license updated in a long time. Take the hour or two it takes to go to the DMV and get a new one. This is especially important if you need to update to the next level of license.
Write down goals for the upcoming year
Spend the extra time writing a few things that you want to get done in 2018. This list could catapult your year into productivity and keep you focused on what really matters when you return back to school.
Or, you could always be super productive and watch all ten seasons of Friends.