What is the quickest way to relieve most of that examination-accumulated pressure? Go on a holiday of course! After a chilly winter and an equally blustery spring, the next best place to visit is the beach where you can achieve that sun-kissed bronzed tan look by the end of summer. If you are the type who is not satisfied with a short trip to the beach, consider flying out of the United Kingdom and spend a few weeks in a country where the culture, food, people and traditions are completely different from yours. You never know what adventures lies in store for you, for all you know, you may find your next favourite holiday destination which saves you the hassle of holiday planning in the future. So let your gutsy, wanderlust spirit take flight!
“What’s the quickest way to relieve most of that examination-accumulated pressure? Go on a holiday of course!”
Volunteer
Let it not be about you, but about lovingly serving the less privileged. Whether it is wildlife volunteering or community development in South Africa or rural China, let this summer holiday open your eyes to the social and economic inequality of the world. Volunteer programmes have evolved to be extremely diverse these days, allowing you to hone your teaching skills whether it is teaching English to the children or preserving environmental landscapes or endangered species, you are doing something for a worthy cause while on vacation, it is literally killing two birds with a stone. Like Mahatma Gandhi said ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world.’ As humans, we often underestimate ourselves and what we can do for others, if we can create a positive impact in one person at a time, it is enough.
“Whether it’s wildlife volunteering or community development in South Africa, let this summer holiday open your eyes to the inequality of the world”
Do an internship
Throughout the academic year, we fob off the excuse of being too busy with our academic work and massively busy social life to build up our pathetic CV. Apart from the meagre intern remuneration, the experience gained is invaluable especially if you have access to confidential company information. Take the opportunity to build up your industrial contacts and leave an excellent impression on your employers, like how the seasoned veterans like to say, ‘You never know when you might need them so don’t burn your bridges too early.’ At the end of your internship stint, get a reference letter for the benefit of your future job interviews. What the point of interning at the most sought-after prestigious corporation when you can’t even wave their recommendation letter in front of your prospective employers’ jaw-dropped faces?
If a summer internship is too draining and a volunteer programme is too time-consuming, try applying for a part-time job. This way you still have the spare time to enjoy your holidays however you want to and still earn some spare cash to finance your summer outings. Even though it is a part-time job, it is still an avenue for you to pick up unique skills or improve on your existing skills.
With all these to-dos, summer would pass you by in a blink of an eye and you will feel more enriched at the end of it, instead of letting it slip by you once again. Let this summer be the turning point of your university life!