For those of us who have no spectacular and exciting vacations planned out for our spring break and are heading home, we’re always left wondering just what we should do. Spring break is like a mini-glimpse into our future of what our summer break will look like, so we should do our best to make it as fun as possible, even if we’d rather be on a beach somewhere south and warm. Don’t let your hometown get your down, only you can make your spring break awesome, so plan to make it great! Here’s a helpful guide to get you started.
Don’t try to make a strict plan—be flexible! – If something doesn’t go your way, or an important thing comes up that throws off your plan, just breathe and let it go. We only have 9 days (that includes the weekends) of an uninterrupted break. There’s no use in making a big deal about nothing. Just flip flop some things around to maximize the fun and minimize the worry.
Meet up with high school best friends! – Odds are, your friends and you have either the same spring break, or a couple of days that overlap each other. Make the most of your time and spend it with them doing the things you used to do, or make up a new tradition for spring break fun to continue doing next year! You’re bound to make fun memories and it’s nice to have some familiarity after a stressful beginning to your spring semester. You can spend all day watching movies or make an elaborate adventure of your time together, but no matter what, allow yourself to enjoy your stress-free time.
Spend some “quality time” with your family. – Whether it’s watching a movie together, having a nice dinner you all help prepare, or doing something silly and crazy with your siblings, it’s nice to be around the ones that love you. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way back to school, so make some special memories that’ll help you through the hard times when you’re back on campus and stressing over midterms and papers and finals!
Get a jumpstart on that term paper(s)! – No one likes writing papers. But if you make a head start on your paper(s) while you’re at home, you’re guaranteed to have less stress when you get back on campus. It’s not fun to do work over break, but turn on Netflix, grab your favorite snack, and try to accomplish something. Create your topic, complete an outline, tackle that introduction and thesis, and even write the paper if you have the time. Coming back to school with that assignment done will allow you to start back up with more free time and less worry.
Work! – For those of you who have a job secured at home for breaks, you can use your spring break to earn a little spending cash for when you return back to campus. Even if you don’t work the entire time, or you’re given less hours than usual, take anything you’re given so that you have something to do while you’re on break. Boredom can really set in quickly, so having something to do, even if it is work, is better than spending your break bored.
Movies, naps, and Netflix! – If you feel as though you worked your butt off in the beginning of the semester and you really feel like you deserve a break, TAKE ONE! Chill out, watch tons of movies, eat all the junk food, take random naps like a cat, and just enjoy this well-deserved break. You did what was expected of you, now you deserve to do what you want! Invite your friends over or your significant other and soak in the zero responsibilities you have for the next 9 days before you’re back to having no free time. Ever.
Spend a day doing crafts! – If you’re a crafty person (and even if you’re not, but need something to do), scroll through Pinterest, Facebook, or Tumblr for some cool crafting ideas. Creativity gets the blood in your brain moving and you’ll be in perfect shape to come back to campus and start off right! Make presents for friends’ upcoming birthdays, or something for your friends just because you were thinking of them over break. You could make a cool new dorm decoration, or something to leave hanging on the walls at home for you to look at when you return and remember your spring break. Whatever it is you decide to do, make sure you’re having fun doing it. Even if you’re laughing at how bad you are at crafts, fun is the key!
Go to the CAA tournament – If you live close enough to Maryland, or even in Maryland, consider cheering on the Tribe men’s basketball team as they compete in the CAA Tournament, hoping to come home #1. The tournament will take place at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, MD from Saturday, March 7th through Monday, March 9th. The outcome of the basketball game on February 28th will determine which seat W&M will be in and the time of the games for the tournament. For more information, check out the tribe athletics page.
Bring your spring clothes to campus – After spring break, it won’t be long before the temperature rises and the sun stays out all day. Of course, there will always be the occasional rainy day, but for the most part, the weather will be nice. Prepare your school wardrobe for this change in weather. It might take a couple extra suitcases to get everything to campus, and you might have to reorganize your drawer/closet space to fit it all in your dorm, but when it’s 80 degrees, warm, and sunny, that heavy coat and double layered jeans and leggings will get way too warm. Make sure you’ve got everything you need to look fashionable and ready for the spring weather.