Student Life

10 Things You Should Do Over Holiday Break

Here are 10 productive & fun activities you should make happen this winter break.

Shawna Newman

December 04, 2023

10 Things You Should Do Over Holiday Break
Make this the best holiday break—EVER!
While you’re on break over the holidays, it’s easy to get into a lazy mode. Naps are important, but there’s only so much sleeping you can do. We've compiled a handy list of helpful suggestions of things you could, should and will likely want to do over your holiday break. The bottom line: Make the most of every moment – you’ll be happy you did once you’re back into the swing of second semester!

10 Things You Should Do Over Holiday Break

  1. Apply for Scholarships and Internships
  2. If there was ever a time to apply, it’s now! You don’t have to spend the entire break applying for scholarships. Consider devoting a few hours each week to scholarship applications. Or, set aside several scholarships you’d like to apply for before the end of break and work toward that goal.
    Here are some great resources to help get you started in your scholarship search: • Holiday ScholarshipsScholarships for The Class of 2024 Scholarships for The Class of 2025 Scholarships for College Students The same goes for your internship applications. It’s important to stay focused on your internship search throughout the year! Check out this list of the Must-See Paid Internships for Students.

  3. Update Your Profile
  4. Be sure to update your Fastweb profile regularly. Now is the perfect time. Include your accomplishments, refresh your GPA and more. You can also use this time to organize your scholarship search by modifying what scholarships you’re interested in and those you’ve applied for. There are four easy ways to make Fastweb work for you —including a profile update.

  5. Connect with Friends
  6. The holiday break provides the perfect time to reconnect with high school classmates. You may have also met people in college that will be returning to the same hometown. Use this time to get together in person – or connect via social media.

  7. Exercise
  8. Stay healthy and combat the holiday bulge by keeping up with a regular exercise regimen. You’ll look – and, more importantly, feel – better. Healthline offers some great workouts you can do at home!

  9. Plan next semester’s schedule
  10. Get a jump start on planning next semester while you have time. You’ll be ready to go over your 2024 plan with your high school counselor or college advisor. Additionally, you should start creating a game plan for next semester now, before you get too busy to do so later.

  11. Refresh your resume, cover letter and/or essays
  12. Whether it’s a job, remote internship or college application resume, cover letter or essays, updated documents are always good to have on hand. Use your break to work on all your important documents, adding any extra information you have had since you last updated them. Opportunity knocks the moment you’re least expecting it so it’s always best to be prepared at a moment’s notice. If you need any extra tips or reference materials, here are some helpful resources.

    Resume Tips:

    Diversify Your Resume and Make Yourself a Better Candidate

    Cover Letters:

    Internship Cover Letter Sample

  13. Catch up on your reading
  14. What we’re suggesting here is the kind of reading you actually enjoy – not your required reading for school. Seriously - when was the last time you read a book that you didn't have to? Pick up a book because it looks interesting, cozy up and get lost in it. Enjoy – you’ll be happy you did! Need a book suggestion? From fiction to non-fiction, The New York Times lists the 10 best books of 2023. Here's a list of four noteworthy banned books you may want to consider reading, too!

  15. Spend quality time with family
  16. You love them and they love you. No matter how much you hate to admit it, you missed them terribly. Why wait until the holidays to catch up with family? Try baking one of these TikTok desserts together. Or do a fun Holiday Movie Quiz to see which Home Alone character you are.

  17. See a movie
  18. Some of the best films of the year are released during the holiday season and, since you have a lot of free time on your hands, it’s a great opportunity to take advantage of! If you miss being at school, why not watch one of these 20 Must-See College Movies?!

  19. Volunteer
The holidays are a great time to volunteer. You can use your volunteer work and experiences to apply for scholarships too. Check out this list of Volunteer Scholarships & Internships! What else do you like to do over your holiday break?

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Shawna Newman

Managing Editor, Contributing Writer

Shawna Newman is the Managing Editor and a writer at Fastweb. She has over 10 years of experience in higher education. Her direct work with college admissions teams, financial aid officers, college deans, ...

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