At Waterloo, we don’t get many breaks. In fact, I didn’t even get a summer break after my first year due to co-op. As such, it’s important to make the most of every break we do get — be it the 2-week breaks between terms, or reading week.
Last year, I made the mistake of treating reading week as a regular school week. Although I didn’t have any classes, I was worried about the influx of upcoming deadlines and midterms that followed reading week. My to-do list every day boiled down to completing assignments, working on practice problems, or writing notes — essentially, I was just studying. While it felt good to be productive and catch up on my studies, I saw all my friends posting about going home, going on a short trip, or taking the time to do fun activities around Waterloo. I felt like I was missing out. A truly productive reading week doesn’t consist of just studying, and we should use it to reset and recover before diving into midterm season. So for this reading week, I plan to strike a balance between studying and relaxing. Here’s what’s on my reading week bucket list.
- Self-care day
An at-home spa experience with facials, yoga, and self-pampering. How could anything sound better than that?
- Bake something new
I’ve been planning on making my friend’s gluten-free chocolate cake for months now. When’s a better time to bake something new than during reading week? It’s yours to snack on during stressful study sessions!
- Read a book from my want-to-read list
Having a couple of days to myself will give me plenty of time to read a couple of books — my want-to-read list is getting way too long at this point.
- Outdoor movie marathon
It’s getting cold out, but getting together with friends to watch movies under the stars is an experience I’d never miss. Our theme is nostalgia — we’re going to be watching all of our favourite childhood movies!
- Road trip
I plan on taking a short road trip to Hamilton to visit a couple of friends! It’ll be nice to see them after so long and visit Hamilton for the second time.
- Explore Waterloo
Waterloo might not be a big city like Toronto and Vancouver, but there’s so much to explore! It’s already my 2nd year, and I still get excited browsing the countless food options and activities we can do here, from VR to pottery painting.
- And finally, study
Of course, with midterms and assignment deadlines approaching, I still plan to focus on studying and getting the best grades possible. However, the important thing to remember is that reading week is also a break, which is why studying is number 7 on my bucket list. Take a break, and have a good reading week everyone!