8 Things Every College Student Needs To Do Over Winter Break

Winter break is quickly approaching! Are you wondering what you're going to do over winter break while you're home? Check out this list of 8 things to do!

It’s that time of year again. Finals are over and you get to leave school behind for a month. But what are you going to do with all that free time? Here are my recommendations of what every college student NEEDS to do over winter break.

1. Sleep!

It is recommended to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night, but we all know how unlikely that is in college. Use your break to catch up on sleep…but don’t sleep all day. I mean do you really want to sleep away your entire winter break?!

2. Catch up on your shows.

If you are like me, then you don’t have a TV in your dorm room, which makes it very difficult to stay up to date with your favorite shows. You would think that everything you watch would be online, but sometimes there’s that one show that can’t be found anywhere. Use winter break as a great opportunity to go through the DVR and catch up on what you’ve missed. Bonus – you get to skip through the commercials!

3. Spend time with your family.

I know some families can be on the annoying side, but your parents and siblings missed you. Some college students will spend all their time over winter break out of the house or hidden away in their rooms. Don’t become a ghost while you are home and actually put in some quality time with the fam – one day you’ll look back and be glad that you did. I recommend a movie night or game night!

4. Hang out with your high school friends.

Chances are you didn’t go to the same college as all your friends from high school. Winter break is the first real opportunity for you to finally see them. Fall breaks were all scattered, Thanksgiving break was just too short, and we all know that Skype can be unreliable. Use winter break to catch up and see what’s new in your friends’ lives. Swap stories about your respective schools and compare!

5. Make some money.

College can be a drain on your bank account, and not everyone has the time to get a job while they are at school. See if the place you worked at in high school or over the summer needs extra help for the holidays. If you didn’t have a job before college, see if any stores are hiring holiday help. There are also numerous offices that seek to fill temp positions, so do some research – you never know what you may find, and it never hurts to have a little extra cash.

6. Learn how to cook at least 2 meals.

You probably will be living off campus in the next year or so, if you don’t already. You are going to need to know how to cook, and I don’t just mean using a microwave. Have your mom or dad (or whoever is the chef in your family) show you how to make your favorite meals. They don’t have to show you how to make the whole recipe book yet, but getting a head start will help you in the very near future (and maybe impress a few friends). Plus, a home cooked meal tastes better when you know you helped make it.

7. Read what you want to read.

Sure you did a lot of reading while you were at school, but how much of that was for fun? There are so many great books being written every day. If you are like me, you have a whole list of books waiting for you to read after finals. Reading can be so relaxing – something you deserve during winter break. So what are you waiting for? Head to your local bookshop and find your new favorite book!

8. Go out!

Go out and enjoy yourself. Find fun things to do in town and let loose! You are on break and deserve to enjoy life. So grab a group of your friends and go party.