I get it–most college students are involved in clubs, organizations, sports or even have a job in addition to attending classes, and thus feel entitled to enjoy the little free time you get.
After waking up at 7 AM on Sunday mornings and working a busy shift at the bagel shop while hungover and half asleep from the night before, I too felt that I earned the right to enjoy free time in college.
We all deserve to have a little fun, especially when we’re young.
My boss reminded me of this just the other day, explaining that his decision to work a lot is acceptable because (according to him, not me) he is “old,” whereas mine is not because I’m young. He went onto explain his rationale, stating young people are supposed to be out enjoying themselves, not working their lives away.
While my boss certainly had a point, I feel as though he failed to consider the importance of timing in life.
Not to sound cliche, but timing really is everything. The reason I have a writing internship and work as a waitress in addition to my full-time teaching job is that I want to set myself up for success in the next chapter of my life.
Consequently, enjoying my free time and making practical use of it are of equal importance to me.
Since you college students are at a similar point in your live–preparing yourselves for success in the real world–I strongly suggest you start equating the significance of enjoyed time with time spent wisely.
Then, you can begin to make the most of free time in college by checking off some of these items on the list below.
Here are the 11 awesome ways to spend free time in college:
- Catching some z’s. You’ll eventually need the extra rest and energy it produces.
- Doing personal reading. In college, we rarely have time for that with all the required reading assigned.
- Hanging out with friends you don’t see in class/at practice.
- Getting involved in something if you aren’t already in. Clubs, organizations, sports and jobs all look good on a resume. And with working a part-time job, you can save money to eventually pay off those student loans. Or have some extra spending money on the weekend.
- Cooking a meal. Since meals are always provided, we can get out of practice. Not only will making a meal maintain your cooking skills, but also allow you to eat something other than cafeteria food.
- Exploring internships/job opportunities. Now is the time; don’t wait until last minute.
- Working on your resume. Again, don’t procrastinate.
- Calling your parents. Despite what you may think, they miss you. Due to that, they’ll always feel like a bother when calling you at college.
- Going on an off-campus date with your significant other. Let’s be real–on-campus dates are not romantic.
- Getting ahead on class assignments. They tend to sneak up on you and somehow are all due at the same time.
- Taking a walk on campus. Seriously, take a moment to associate with its beauty rather than doing schoolwork.
Since this is a long list, you probably won’t do everything on it. That’s fine because it’s not the goal.
The goal is to begin recognizing that free time in college and life in general is well-spent when it is both enjoyed and used wisely.
With this in mind, the end result should be you having no regrets.
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*Section Photo credit to Getty Images and Featured Photo (above) credit to Forbes.
