Now that we’ve gotten past midterm exams, Fall Break is our chance to finally breathe and catch up on all the things we haven’t had time for in between classes, homework, and work-studies. This is our reward for weeks of sleep-deprivation and barely having enough time to eat more than one meal a day. However, with only 4 days to recharge and mentally prepare to face the second half of the semester (i.e.- convince ourselves to not drop out,) it is wise to make every second spent away from campus count. Here are some things you should consider doing to make the most of your free time and fit in as many fall-themed activities as possible!
Finally start reading that book you’ve been meaning to open for the past few weeks, or months, or years…
As the weather gets chillier, this is the perfect time of the year to grab a mug of hot apple cider and curl up in a blanket by the window, or even outside, to read. We all read so much for classes that we don’t have the time to even consider reading for pleasure. Go sit where you will be able to see the changing colors of the leaves every time you glance up to turn your page and bathe in the golden light of the setting autumn sun. (Yes, I know this is dramatic AF.)
Watch spooky movies
With such busy schedules, it can be hard to commit to sitting still for the duration of a movie. Binge-watching tv shows is a guilty-pleasure for most of us, but can you remember the last time you watched a movie from start to finish? Put your phone aside for a few hours and queue your favorite Halloween movies. If you aren’t sure what to watch, you can’t go wrong with a Halloweentown marathon, Hocus Pocus, or The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Throw on a sweater and go outside
Fall weather is the perfect combination of not being too hot or too cold that allows us to look cute while basically wearing pajamas. Dress up in your coziest fall fashion and head to an orchard or a pumpkin patch for some Instagram-worthy photo opportunities. Breathing in the crisp, autumn air as you bite out of an apple you just picked from a tree is sure to clear your mind and renew your spirit. If you prefer pumpkins to apples, carving gourds is a crafty way to let of some steam in one of the only contexts where stabbing something with a knife is socially acceptable.
Work on some of the assignments you have due in the next few weeks
Don’t grab your pitchforks, I’m not saying we should all spend our entire breaks feverishly writing papers as if we never left campus. But you should consider checking one or two things off of your to-do list. This will make your return to campus an easier transition. Nothing is worse than coming back and immediately having to work on that write paper that’s due in two days. If you get a head start now, you’ll be thanking yourself a week from now.
Take all of the naps
This might sound like an obvious suggestion, however, it can be too easy to pull all-nighters watching Netflix when we are freed from the responsibilities of having class the next morning. Make sure that you don’t return from Fall Break even more exhausted than you were when you left.
Stock up on your favorite baked goods
Unless you’re lucky enough to have a full-kitchen in your housing this year, one of the biggest downsides to college is not being able to drunkenly bake a batch of cookies at 2 AM. Try to find time over these 4 days to bake some brownies, muffins, etc. If you love homemade treats. If you’re the kind of person who the gods of baking have cursed to fail every attempt of producing anything edible, go to your local bakery or solicit a favor from your grandma so you have something sweet to take back to campus. You’ll thank me when reaching for a cookie makes your third breakdown of next Thursday a little less horrible.