3 Post-Finals Activities for Winter Break

By Julia Dunn on December 12, 2016

You survived. You turned in your last final and now the notion of “free time” is feeling a little suspicious. No more classes? What do I do now?

Image via Pixabay.com

As most college students know, just because classes are over for the term doesn’t mean there’s nothing you could (or should) be doing in your dynamic, busy life. If you’ve finished your exams and submitted all your projects, here are three ideas for things to do next.

1. Celebrate!

You worked so hard this term. There is no reason not to get yourself an ice cream with marshmallow fluff topping, or a peppermint mocha with your buddies. Take a day (or three) to simply hang out and watch all the episodes of Project Runway you might have missed while cramming for finals.

Sleep with no alarm set on your phone. Call somebody you haven’t gotten to talk to recently. Cook the recipes you’ve bookmarked on your computer the last few months. Do something completely unrelated to college, for no reason other than having fun!

2. Clean up.

Around finals week, no student has time to spare (even for cleaning). Now that you’ve got some free time, use it to clean up your apartment or dorm room — more than just kicking your dirty clothes to the side of your room with your foot. Truly clean your room, bathroom and kitchen as thoroughly as you can (you can blast some tunes, of course).

If you’re about to travel somewhere for break, clean out your refrigerator and eat or dispose of any perishable food you have. If you clean your place before leaving, you’ll come home to a nice-feeling space right before next term begins! You’ll be so pleased with yourself when you come home to fresh sheets, a vacuumed floor, a tidy bathroom and swept floors.

3. Work on graduate school apps.

Seniors — it’s December! Have you requested all your letters of recommendation? Started your personal statement essays? Now is an ideal time to knock out these important tasks that are absolutely crucial if you’re wanting to earn a master’s or PhD immediately after you graduate from undergraduate school.

If you haven’t gotten the time to work on these applications recently, you may want to check in with yourself about a few application details over the winter break.

First, take a look at your statement(s) of purpose or personal history statements and finish up any edits or additions you need to make so that these essays are as powerful and informative as possible. Now that you’ve got some free days, see if anyone you know (family, friends, others) may be interested or willing to read through your statements.

It’s best to choose people who know you well (particularly your desired career goals and your personal history) so that they can gauge whether you have included the most poignant details about your background, interests and qualifications for graduate school. Sometimes other readers can catch the things you might not have noticed when reading over your letters (for instance, if you’ve left out some major life experience you had that could improve your application if included, your friends or family will be able to see that, even if you’ve missed it).

Next, check on the status of your transcript receipts (and remember that even if you only took one course at a random community college one summer, you need to submit official copies of that transcript to your graduate schools too — failing to do so could cost you admission from all prospective schools). While you’re at it, check the submission status of your letters of recommendation and hit the “remind” button if you see that a professor hasn’t yet started filling out the reference form or hasn’t sent in a letter.
Send thank you emails (or cards) in advance to the people who have agreed to be your references for graduate school applications. These people are taking time out of their busy lives to write thoughtful letters on your behalf!

It can be truly exhausting and emotionally taxing to work on graduate school applications for hours on end, given the amount of focus needed to produce usable materials (and the overall pressure that comes with slim graduate admission rates). Thus, winter break is somewhat of an ideal time to work on these since you have time to insert lots of self-care breaks in between work sessions. Do not work eight hours straight on your applications — grab coffee down the street with your neighbor midway or stop for some ice cream. There is no reason to overload yourself with more work (especially since you just finished school for a while!)

Of course, there are plenty of other activities with which you could fill your winter break (such as picking up some extra hours at a part-time job for some holiday cash for gifts or going on a short trip). The best way to recharge after finals? Spend 40 percent of your break being productive, 45 percent relaxing, and 15 percent planning for a successful next quarter or semester. Enjoy the holidays!

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format