Experienced Miami students understand that Winter Term can feel reeeeally long, especially if you’re not taking a class or studying away. It can be hard to stay productive and entertained after your friends go back to their universities in mid-January. So if you don’t have any solid plans, we have created a list of our Top 6 Ways to Stay Productive to help you take full advantage of your six week “break”!

Apply for leadership positions

Winter term seems to be a popular time for application deadlines. SOUL (Student Orientation Undergraduate Leader) applications are due at 11:59pm EST on January 9. Resident Assistant applications are reviewed on a rolling basis while there is still availability. And in just a few weeks we’ll have the HAWKS deadline (February 16). Take advantage of some downtime now to think about and apply for these excellent student leadership opportunities.

Job shadow

Speak with your parents, relatives, or mentors in your field of study about spending a day shadowing them at work. Not only will this benefit you, but most will love that you are taking an interest in their career! If you don’t have any relatives who work in your interested career, reach out to a local business that may have opportunities in your field and ask for an informational interview. Be sure to show up with a list of questions when the time comes. At minimum, you’ll learn more about the company and potential jobs, but it could also turn into a great connection and job or internship opportunity down the line.

Find a job

Post-holiday season, you might be tight on cash, and working would be a great way to spend your time. However, it may be hard to find somewhere to hire you for only six weeks, so consider contacting places you worked in past summers or try babysitting. Additionally, many companies like Bath and Body Works and Amazon offer seasonal employment to help with the holiday rush. That’s a good way to make some money without a long term commitment. 

Apply for Scholarships, Internships, or Grad School

Winter break is the perfect time to revamp your resume and begin the summer job hunt! Stay ahead of the game and apply early to snag your dream internship. While you’re home you can also improve your interviewing skills by practicing mock interviews with your parents. Additionally, seniors can use this time to spend time polishing their Grad School applications or updating their resumes and LinkedIn profiles to prepare to find a job for after graduation. 

Volunteer

If you are looking to boost your resume, try volunteering during winter break. You could help at places like the local food pantry, park district, or reach out to United Way. Many charitable organizations host holiday events during winter break and are always looking for extra hands. This is a great way to give back to your local community this holiday season! 

Spend time reviewing your previous semester

I know how easy it can be to take your final exams and immediately forget everything you learned this past semester. However, it’s important to retain all the information you learned for your classes going forward and reviewing your previous materials over winter break could put you ahead next semester. Take just an hour twice a week to review your notes, lecture slides, helpful readings, and modules to keep your mind sharp. 

Beyond reviewing the content, take stock of what went well during fall semester and what you’re going to try to do differently in the spring. Write it down and then revisit it when you head back to campus. 

Enter the Miami Lingua Mater Competition

Do you know another language or are you studying a foreign language at Miami? Do you care about inclusivity and accessibility? Then the Miami Lingua Mater Competition is for you! The Interactive Language Resource Center is co-sponsoring a new initiative for Spring Semester entitled the Miami Lingua Mater Competition. This competition invites students and alumni to translate Miami’s Alma Mater and/or Miami’s Fight Song into a different language and submit a video of the performed translation. Prizes range up to $250 and winning submissions will be performed by Miami’s Men’s Glee Club at a future concert. The winning alumni entry will receive $300 to their local chapter for an upcoming alumni event plus some sweet Miami swag to go along with their event. Learn more here.

Bonus Tip: Relax

While it is important to stay productive, winter term is also a time for you to relax. Catch up on your sleep and spend some quality “me time.” After college, you probably won’t have another six week long break until you retire, so take full advantage of this and ENJOY it!

Grace Cooper