Holidays

After a lot of work and a lot of study, our students have finished up and are hopefully enjoying their summer holidays and a well deserved rest.

One of the great things about university is the holidays. When you start your undergraduate degree, you have 3 or 4 years in front of you. With approximately 3 months holidays per year, that works out at about a years worth of holidays. Now obviously, you will be studying for a big chunk of those holidays, but you can still have some fun.

1. Work and live in a different country

Irish students tend to head over to the USA to work for the summer. It is a great chance to see a different country, enjoy some good weather and see all those places you recognise from the movies (especially if you go to New York). Of the 5 years I was in university, I only went away for one summer. I deeply regret not going away more often. So if you can, living and working for a couple of months in a different country is a fabulous experience and with a bit of imaginative explaining, can even look good on your CV.

2. Volunteer

A problem many recent graduates face when looking for a job is that they don’t have relevant work experience. If you write to places where you would like to work, and volunteer for a month’s work you could get some of that precious work experience, show initiative, make some good contacts and still have plenty of time for holidays and relaxation.

3. Backpack

The inter-railing system in Europe is a fabulous way to see many different countries. You can travel around by train seeing everything that Europe has to offer. And if you bring your books you can study (and look deeply intelligent) while sitting on some rickety train crossing through the Alps.

4. Spend lots of time with your family

For many students, studying at university means living away from your family. So use the summer to spend some precious time with your loved ones. Go out to dinner, take day trips. Now that you’re going to college, your parents have done a big part of their job – so let them relax, stop worrying about you and get to know them as adults (not as people who have to nag you to do homework).

5. Play X-box in your pyjamas all day

This is not a good option but one that can be very tempting. Give yourself a couple of days of this if you need to, but remember that you’re missing out on 1 – 4 if you choose this option.

Enjoy your holidays.