You did it! You went through five straight all-nighters in a row, conquered that harrowing Orgo exam and managed to keep your sanity in the process (or did you…?). It’s finally time for a glorious and well-deserved break from your relationship with Van Pelt and your textbooks. It’s time for cookie baking, shopping, holiday parties and more shopping. But hey, the break’s long (Penn-free for almost a month!) and some of that time could be devoted to small productive projects…or at least telling yourself you’ll do some of them. Tomorrow. Or maybe next week after Michelle’s white elephant party.
Whether you’re the workaholic type that needs to be accomplishing something during break or the type that tries to put these things off until never, here’s a list of things that you may consider doing before the new semester sets in:
1. Volunteer
‘Tis the season to be charitable, and what better way to help out during the chilly winter break than to volunteer some time to help those less fortunate? Soup kitchens, shelters, toy donations… whichever you choose, giving back to the world is a great way to spend your spare time.
2. Read something from that ever-expanding booklist
You kept saying you’d read the new Murakami novel or that you’d eventually finish Anna Karenina, but you haven’t, have you? Instead of reading your Twitter and Facebook feeds, how about actually cracking into your booklist? There are only like, 90 books on it. Knock one off to make it 89; your brain and soul will thank you.
3. Spruce up your resume
The second you step back on to Locust Walk, OCR will slap you in the face. Do you really want to add resume editing to your laundry list of things to do once the new semester starts? It’ll be a lot less painful to spend an hour or so editing it while you have no other responsibilities weighing you down. Pro-tip: Don’t let the holiday season fool you into thinking “gift-wrapping and cookie frosting” are viable skills to list on your resume.
4. Travel somewhere interesting
You’ve already kind of travelled back home, but aren’t you bored of the same old sights? Take some time this break to take a mini road trip—a day or two spent somewhere interesting, whether it’s a huge city you’ve never been to or a small town reputed to have the world’s largest yarn ball. It’ll definitely add a bit of adventure to your break. Plus you get to make a road trip playlist. Who doesn’t like making occasion-specific playlists?
5. Learn something new
In the same vein as travel, learning something novel or something you’ve always wanted to do will definitely make good use of your time. You wouldn’t have time to learn how to make Hungarian goulash or do intricate cat nail art during a hectic semester, so why not spend some time learning odd skills and facts during your time off?
Image credits:
http://psuchronicles.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/winterbreak1.jpg?w=620