A Guide to University Life: Step 2: Things to do during your vacation

Once again the time has come for a vacation. As a student, I often hear other people say that we have so much time off and never do anything. I hate that. Being a busy student is a full-time job: you have to do regular homework, read assignments and prepare for exams. I am rarely bored. On the contrary, I am stressed way too often. But honestly, I have to admit that vacations are not infrequent when studying. There are three months of summer holidays, at least two weeks around Christmas, one month between the semesters, two weeks around Easter and all the Catholic holidays in between. Nevertheless, most of this time off is again very busy. You have to prepare for assignments, presentations and tests again. And not to forget about all your recreational engagements. What follows is a useful list of possible activities to fill each vacation.

First, there is of course the unkind possibility of falling ill during your vacation. This Easter sickness got me. During the term you do not have time to be sick. You easily fall behind with your work if you are ill in bed. Still, I am not pleased about being ill now. The sun is shining and temperatures are close to 20 degrees Celsius. And I have to stay inside. Not much fun. However, I have time to work on my university assignments – which leads me to the next possible activity.

Second, you can use your free time to cope with all the preparations for the busy months at university. At the beginning of each vacation, I have a long to-do list and I am determined to invest a few hours in this list per day. It is only a matter of good time management. Even though I am determined, I am not always motivated. And motivation is the one crucial thing you need a lot of for working on university stuff during your holidays. Most of the time, my whole to-do list results in a mess. By the time the vacation is almost over, I will have got through two out of the 20 tasks or so. Well, the last two days usually end in a desperate attempt to finish as many assignments as possible. So I am badly overworked at the end of the vacation. Actually, I should be full of new energy for the rest of the semester. Something has gone wrong … again.

Third, you can spend some of the time on outdoor activities you like. As soon as the weather is fine, I plan on going outside for a walk or a bike ride. However, there are often problems in the execution of my plans. I am not motivated enough for sports and I always use the same excuse: with so little leisure time left, I deserve to be lazy. So my time outside is mostly filled with reading or spending time with friends. Fortunately, I still have summer break. It is much longer and then I will be more motivated for sports anyway.

Fourth, most students do not just have their university obligations. Maybe you have time-consuming hobbies. Or you are a member of a club. These have to be indulged in too. If you are part of a local association just like me – playing an instrument – there are rehearsals and performances. Besides, you have to practice a lot – or at least you should. Here, my time management comes in again.

You see, there are various ways to organize your vacation. Some activities seem to be really nice and some not so much. I am very conscientious; so I always tell myself that it is okay to spend time on recreation as well. Fill your vacations with things you like doing best, because your daily routine will catch up with you soon enough.