Finish Your Winter Break on a Strong Note

In college, students approach winter break in a number of ways.  If you're like many college students, you probably started your break the week before Christmas and will end it sometime after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday.  This means many of you have about two weeks left of winter break.

Some of you are taking this time to make extra money.  Recently, I talked to a college student who knew she would not be able to visit her family overseas like she had wanted.  Therefore, she decided to do temporary work for an international education office at her university.  While processing student applications might not be the most glamorous work, she at least is getting paid and hopes that this could transition into a part-time job for the spring semester.

Others of you are taking this time to go on vacation.  When I asked the aforementioned student what her friend was doing during break, she showed me a picture from his current vacation in Brazil.  He planned to stay there for most of winter vacation so he would not have to suffer the brutal winter she was experiencing in her New England college town.

Then there are the rest of you who might not have chosen to work or to go on an exotic vacation for winter break.  If you are like me, you probably traveled back home to be with your family for the holidays, reunite with old childhood and high school friends, and just "do nothing."  After all, who would even think of working after an intense week of finals?  Also what else could you do if you didn't have the money to go on a "real vacation"?  These winter breaks tend to be fun, but they could also get old pretty quickly.  After all, when you're not hanging out with family or friends, how many hours of TV could you watch?

If this last scenario sounds a lot like your current winter break, there's still time to make the most of your remaining weeks before the spring semester starts!

1. Do professional development.  Remember last month when I suggested how you should prep for this holiday question:  What are you going to do after you graduate from college? You might have forgotten, especially if you were in the middle of finals.  Now is the time to revisit that question if you haven't figured it out already.
2. Volunteer.  Given the little time you have left on winter break, you could do a one-time volunteer job at a local pantry, shelter, or other nonprofit organization.  A couple good websites for finding volunteer work are Idealist and VolunteerMatch.  One popular day for volunteers is Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Day.  Volunteers across the country will serve to honor the legacy of MLK, Jr.  You should join them!
3. Reconnect with old friends and family you haven't seen yet.  Although you may have reunited with everyone on your must-see list, take a second look at your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and numbers stored on your phone, etc.  Is there someone you missed?  I always find that there's someone I neglected to text, call, or hang out with.  Make sure you don't miss your last chance before you go back to school!   

Alright, now choose any item from this list, and get started … or after your nap … whichever's most practical!