How I’m Spending my Winter Break

Winter break during your college years is very different from any other school break you’ve experienced in the past. In high school, at least for me, my winter break took place while we were in the middle of learning content in school. Because of this, I usually spent my breaks catching up on schoolwork, studying for upcoming exams, and sometimes even learning new information.

Other academic breaks, including Thanksgiving break and spring break, take place in the middle of the semester, so it’s very likely you will still have some schoolwork to do. Winter break, on the other hand, is right in between semesters, and, for most students, there’s no schoolwork to be done. Of course, students have the option to take winter courses if they have a class they want to get out of the way or want to lighten their semester load.

For me, winter break meant going from being unimaginably busy with classes, finals, and studying, to have more time that I knew what to do with. So, I’m going to share with you what I have been doing and will continue to do over my winter break to make the most of my time!

Relaxing

The first semester, or any semester really, can be exhausting. It’s hard to balance school, work, extracurriculars, and social life. Because of this, self-care and relaxation usually get put on the back burner. That’s why it’s especially important to take this time off to relax and reset before taking on another semester.

Relaxing can look different for everyone. Some things I like to do to relax over break are watching movies and shows, baking or cooking different foods, reading a new book, and spending time with family and friends.

Scholarships

Winter break is a great time to be applying for scholarships for the upcoming school year. Most scholarships have essay requirements, and it can be hard to find the time and motivation to write these essays when you have other schoolwork that needs to be done.

The University of Iowa has an online scholarship portal for new and incoming students. Once you log into the portal with your HawkID there will be required and recommended scholarships for you. Once you fill out a general scholarship application, you will automatically be applied to many of the scholarships in the portal.

Another scholarship recommendation I have is to look for ones from businesses and companies in your area. Local scholarships are a lot easier to win than national ones due to the difference in the number of applicants. You can check your high school’s website, and the sites of local businesses to see if they have any scholarships available.

Shadowing / Internship Applications

If you plan on going to a grad school or program that requires volunteering, shadowing, or experience hours, winter break is a great time to be filling out applications. Additionally, if you’re still not entirely sure what field you want to go into or where you want to work in that field, shadowing current workers is a great way to get a feel for the job.

I plan on going to medical school, so I am hoping to get some shadowing experience over spring break and this coming summer. Many of my local hospitals require applications to be filled out a few weeks in advance, making now a great time to get started on those. Be sure to check on the requirements for the workplaces you’d like to shadow at.

It’s also a great time, especially If you’re a freshman, to start making note of the activities you’ve been involved in. I have an excel spreadsheet that lists my activities, when I was involved, what I did, and who to contact if I need further information or a reference. Furthermore, I have a word document where I write about some of my experiences with these activities. This will come him handy when writing scholarship or application essays where you have to recall how you felt / what you did for these events.