7 ways to make the most of your school breaks
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School can be tough and take over a lot of our time for other activities and interests. Sure, this is when time management is more crucial than ever, but we’re also only given a certain amount of time during the day. That’s where school breaks come in. Be it our winter break or summer break, we have time off from schoolwork to focus more time on ourselves in other ways, here are seven ways to make the most of your school break.
1. Stay healthy and active
Health should always come first. Which is why it’s vital not to forget to be active and exercise each day. Even though we might get tempted to play on our consoles and binge watch TV shows all day, it’s important to keep our bodies healthy and robust. You can do this by going for a run, cycling for a few miles, or swimming a few laps each day.
And of course, while exercise is important, don’t forget to build yourself a balanced diet. Even though it’s delicious, your meals can’t all be ice cream and soda throughout vacation! Try to limit your treats to a couple of times a week when you can.
2. Stay sharp
Even though you’ve finished your final exams, you need to make sure you don’t forget what you learned throughout the last school year. A good way to stay sharp during your break is to review everything you’ve learned so far. All this would require is for you to sit down for an hour or two each day and study one subject. Make a routine to make sure you don’t leave out any important subjects or topics.
3. Pursue a hobby
With so much free time on your hands, you might want to pursue a hobby like cooking, dancing, or photography. This will give you a chance to develop unique skills and find your talents. Spending just one or two hours each day pursuing a hobby can also help reduce stress.
Once you find a hobby that you’re really into, you can choose to do something more in-depth with it. If your hobby is music or performing arts, you could take a Trinity exam. If you’re into acting, try going to auditions at various agencies and theaters.
4. Volunteer
Although it’s never a bad time to give something back to society, summer breaks give us plenty of extra time to do something more concrete. You could organize charity events, volunteer at a local church, or work with some of the NGOs in your area. Find a cause you’re passionate about and you’ll make the most out of the time you spend doing community service.
5. Visit and research universities
Your school break is the best time to start writing out college essays and filling out university applications, especially if you’re a Junior. If you’re not sure about the universities you want to apply to, then this is a great time to research and figure out which schools you’d be most interested in.
Here are some helpful websites for the application process:
Start by figuring out what interests you. If it’s something you’d like to study at university, this will make the process of looking for universities so much easier.
6. Spend quality time with loved ones
A busy school schedule means you get to spend less time with your family and old friends, especially if you choose to study abroad for high school. School breaks are when you can make up for the time you spent away. Go out for meals, play board games, attend concerts, go camping, or do anything else that can help you make more valuable memories with them.
If you’re studying abroad, buy some gifts for your friends and family before you leave campus and bring them with you. Your loved ones will be so happy that you haven’t forgotten them. After all, that’s something you might get taunts for when you meet them after a couple of months. So come prepared with gifts!
7. Do an internship or summer course
If you have a good idea about what you want to study during university or if you have a keen interest in something, doing a summer program or course in that area of interest is a great idea. Some of the best universities offer summer programs for 2-7 weeks. It’s a good way to gain exposure to your favorite subjects (and you’ll be collecting brownie points for your university application!)
If a summer program isn’t an option for you, try to do an internship in a company related to your fields of interest. Seeing what they do is a good way to gain exposure to the challenges in this role and what you might be expected to know when you work in that field in the future. It’s also another awesome way to show universities that you’re serious about what you want to do in the future.
Originally published August 6, 2018.
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