The importance of having a holiday

If you have an paper due in for January, or a deadline looming after Easter, there is always a temptation to kick back in the last few weeks of term and leave your work until the holidays. But, consider this – four weeks of freedom. No lectures, no assignments, no essays. It may sounds impossible, but there is a way to have a uni-free holiday and enjoy your break as much as possible.

Utilise your resources

Getting all your work done in a week or two might seem to go against all the advice telling you to take your time, but once you have some good points on paper, all you need to do is edit. Universities are set up to be places of learning, so make the most of that while you’re there. Use the library to do any research for essays that are coming up – it’s likely to be a bit quieter towards the end of term, especially in December. Even if you don’t get your essay written in full, you’ve done the hardest part.

Get motivated

Do you remember the last time you had a completely free break? Do you remember how great it was? Use that to motivate yourself to work whenever the opportunity arises. Use any spare time in between lectures or on the bus ride home to review your work so far. It might not be as good as being sat in a quiet room (some of that will need to be involved too) but any grammar mistake or weak argument that you pick up will help to boost your grade.

Review and revise

Of course, if you have an exam, things are a bit different – you can’t expect to put down the books for weeks and ace the paper. However, it’s a good idea to review all of the key points before term ends so that you can talk through any issues with a lecturer or tutor. After that, you should find the topic a little less daunting and picking up your textbook at home will be a bit easier. Make sure that you prioritise as well – if you have an exam right at the start of term and another three weeks later, focus on the first one over the break. It seems obvious, but many students fall into the trap of giving all topics equal time, which isn’t always the best method.

Holidays may seem like a perfect time to catch up on work, but if you never give yourself a break, you put yourself at risk of burnout. If you plan to earn some money over the holidays, it’s even more important to minimise your university workload. However, if you work your hardest during term time, there is no reason you can’t treat yourself to some glorious time off.

What do you think is the importance of having a holiday? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo: Tommy Wong / Flickr

Helena Moretti

I’m Helena, a 21 year old recent physics graduate from Warwick university. In September I’ll be starting as a project management graduate with Transport for London. I love cooking, video games and writing, and I’m looking forward to taking the first step in my professional career!