It’s a break, not a holiday.

Written by Infinite

I am a bit of a bearer of bad news here. Easter holiday for the general population, and study break for students. See the differences in that sentence? Holiday means kayaking, boat riding, sightseeing, waking up at 11 in the morning, and still feel no guilt. Study break means catching up and doing more study essentially. I think the term is sort of operating on a sense of irony.

Now that you don’t need to turn up on Zoom for lectures and tutorials (or physically), it’s time to work the break to your advantage!

1. Divide and conquer

Have an attack plan. Which courses do you need to catch up on first? Which tasks/assignments will take the longest time to complete? These are all valid questions to ask yourself when you draw up your plan. Most full-time students will have at least two assessments at hand they must complete at this stage, and the wise one will choose to tackle the one that is seemingly harder first. Map out what you are going to achieve in these two weeks, and you will feel less of a hot mess when you come out of it.

2. Play catch-up

A sem break is good for catching up on stuff that you have little time for when you have to juggle between work and study. Aside from study (duh!), you should use this time wisely to catch up with things such as the latest Netflix shows, or your friends who might have forgotten what you look like, or your family’s newest round of gossips. Seriously though, catch up on the lecture recordings that you’ve neglected as well (yes I know what you did during the last sem). You might miss out on beautiful slides that your lecturers probably spent hours creating.

3. Create a plan for after sem break

This is the perfect time to review what works for you and what doesn’t in your last couple of weeks of studying. You might be a morning person or an evening owl. You prefer handwritten notes over digital ones. You can use this period to reorganise your approach. You should also use this break to plan for the rest of the sem. It is important to know what you want to achieve and how you are going to achieve it further down the line. This is also a good time to assess if you understand what your courses are required of you.

4. Find a friend to study with

You might have been too busy during the sem to find a study group or connect with your classmates. Just because you are on a break doesn’t mean you need to lose your momentum. Since you are slightly (only like 0.01%) freer than before, maybe join that Zoom study group that you have been thinking about before. Alternatively, if you have been assigned a group assessment, this is also a great time to hang out with others and complete your group work over some pizza and wine!

 

5. Go for a vacay but bring some study

If you have your domestic vacay all booked in, bring that report/essay you were meant to write throughout your break. Or any readings that you are supposed to catch up on. Spend a couple of hours writing in front of the beautiful Mt. Cook, or reading on the shores of Lake Tekapo. These almost retreat-like ideas sure do make those long as readings and writing a little more enjoyable.

Famous Last Words: It’s a sem break, not a complete guilt-free holiday!

Be smart about your sem break. Spend your time wisely and you will be rewarded accordingly!