My tops tips to enjoy your final semester of college

For many young people in college, this semester may be our last. By April, classes will finish for the last time, we’ll hand in our final assignments, portfolios and theses, and we’ll be out the door. There are big decisions ahead, such as whether to travel abroad, try to get a full time job or continue studying. There’s pressure to get a job related to your degree straight away. But for some people, you may have become disappointed with your degree over the years and would now like a job in a different field. The idea that anyone aged 21 or 22 would have their whole life figured out is ridiculous.

Despite the stressful few months ahead, I think it’s important to remember to take a step back from the work and enjoy the last few months of your time in college. Here are some ways you can enjoy yourself and continue to support your physical and mental health during the year.

Be involved in society life

Whether you’re already involved in a society or not, they can be a great way to get rid of college stress. Society events both on campus and off campus can get your mind off your assignments for a while. Societies plan events months in advance, so it’s worth keeping an eye on their social media pages and your college email to see if there’s something you might be interested in.

If you’re already involved in a college society and sit on a committee, you may be finding it tough and time consuming. Remember it’s okay to share the workload with others as you need time for yourself too.

Meet up with college friends

It’s strange that what feels like just a short time ago you made new friends in college and now you’re all graduating together and travelling in different directions once again. During the busy semester, you’ll have to work to carve out time for one another in your diaries. It could be something as simple as getting lunch together in the canteen or student bar. You might agree to talk about anything other than college. It’s important to make the most of your last few months studying together as soon it will be harder to meet up when everyone has different schedules.

Make time for hobbies

Whatever helps to destress you, make sure you keep it up. It could be playing a sport, or reading, or music or playing video games. Avoiding burnout is essential. After a break from assignments, you’ll be more motivated to finish them.

Make time for physical activity

Often exercise can be the last thing you want to do when you’re so busy with college work, but it helps so much with both your physical and mental health. Even taking a quick walk in the evening is a great way to get your heart rate up, and you can listen to your favourite playlist on your headphones as you walk. YouTube has a lot of great workout channels with instructional videos for any length workout.

Leave college on time

Especially in final year, you may find yourself constantly staying late in college to work on assignments. You get up early in the dark and head to college, and when you get home it’s dark again. It can help to make a promise to yourself that you’ll leave college on time twice a week. Even if you live on campus, make sure that once home time comes, you’re out of the lecture buildings.

There’s still time left in college to make memories with great people. Whatever the future holds, look after yourself and enjoy yourself.