Summer for a university student can mean different things to each person. To me, it is a time for doing everything I haven’t been able to do for the last 9 months because I’ve been so busy with university work. I know some people get summer jobs to save up money for the following year of university but for a few reasons I decided not to get a job this summer and to take the time for myself.
The first thing that I haven’t had time for before is to relax!! It has been a hectic year at university and there has been very little time for chilling out and I need to be rested for going into third year. Talking of going into third year, I also will be making a start on researching for my third-year project (psychology’s version of a dissertation). In psychology, part of the third year is conducting our own research looking at an area we are interested in and we have quite a short window to do it, hence why I am starting the background work early. If you’re going into second year from first, it’s not a bad idea to look over your notes, as usually second year is built on from first year. If you’re going into third year then you will probably be like me and want to make a start on your dissertation or project.
Next on my agenda for summer is to work on my current hobbies and take up a new one. My current hobbies include crafts of all kinds, reading, and binge watching box sets. I hope to enjoy doing more of those things during the summer. I also want to learn British Sign Language. It is something I have wanted to learn for a long time but never got around to it. I want to go into some psychology-related profession after university so I think being able to communicate with a wider variety of people would be beneficial.
Finally, catching up with friends and family is a must for my summer. I see my family from time to time over the year but I’m always busy revising or writing assignments or catching up on sleep so I don’t get much time just to be with them and watch something on the TV or play a game together. I also have a group of friends from college who I don’t get to see one year to the next so I would love to catch up with them.
My advice for everyone on their summer holidays, use the time wisely and don’t let it just pass you by but enjoy it and use it for what you want to use it for. It is very helpful to rest and recuperate before your next year at university so you can throw yourself in at the deep end and get the work done. I wish you all a wonderful summer, whatever you choose to do.
