Winter break- you’re so excited for its arrival, but after about two days in, you’re already bored out of your mind. Instead of sitting around waiting to go back to college, get off the couch and make the most of your long break from school. After all, when you graduate, you might not have a consecutive month to do whatever you want again until retirement.
The following list should give you some ideas for how to keep busy over winter break:
1. Take a skiing trip with friends
There are numerous websites that offer ski package deals specifically for college students. Even if you’ve never been skiing before you could still go and have fun with your friends enjoying the other amenities ski resorts offer.
2. Volunteer
Not only is volunteering a great way to meet new people and help those less fortunate, but thanks to companies like Cross-Cultural Solutions, you could spend your winter break having the experience of a lifetime by volunteering in a different country.
3. Start a snow removal business
This is very easy to do and will put some extra money in your pocket. Get the word out by putting up fliers around town and have your parents tell their friends about your new venture. If you don’t think this idea will work, just remember, I started a snow shoveling business when I was in middle school, and if a middle schooler can do it, you can too.
4. Learn a new hobby
You could spend your free time sitting on the couch watching tv, or you could spend it learning a fun new hobby. Not only will it boost your self esteem when you realize that you are capable of learning new things, but if you get good enough at your hobby, you could make money off of it or even turn it into a career.
5. Prepare for next semester
This one is a little lame. Who wants to spend their break reading and thinking? But when next semester rolls around and you already know a lot of the material for your classes, you’ll have more time to spend having fun since you already studied over break.
6. Start looking for a job or internship
If you are graduating in the spring you should take advantage of your winter break to begin preparing your resume and making a list of cities you wouldn’t mind moving to for work. Once your list is made and your resume and cover letter are prepared you can start applying early. This will show employers that you’re eager to begin working and help keep you from getting lost in the jumble of applications that roll in after students graduate.
*Even if you aren’t graduating, you may want to use your winter break to begin looking for a summer internship.
7. Take a road trip
What could be more fun than packing you and a few of your closest friends into a car and exploring your country? Believe it or not, taking a road trip can be helpful when it comes time to start looking for a job too. As you are making a list of cities you wouldn’t mind moving to for work, you can think of all the places you explored on your road trip that really impressed you.
8. Reconnect with old friends
A lot of students lose touch with their high school friends when they go off to college. It’s hard to keep in touch when you’re meeting so many fun new people and enjoying your new found independence. But now that you’re back in your hometown you should consider taking the time to call up some old friends you haven’t seen in a while and catch up.
Resources to help make your winter break fun and rewarding:
Collegeskitrips.com– Affordable ski packages for college students.
Communiteach.com– A social media site for learning new hobbies. Communiteach allows you to make a profile and connect with someone who can teach you a new skill in return for teaching them something you’re good at.
Cross-Cultural Solutions– Offers volunteer placements all over the world.
Roadtripusa.com– Maps of great US road trips and advice on must see stops.
Resumetemplates.org– Provides free templates to guide you in writing your resume.
