Busy staying up late writing term papers and cramming for finals? Fear not—winter break is fast approaching! When the semester ends, you’ll have a nice month-long breather to take before having to worry about any classes again. Before you pack up and head home for the holidays though, there is some stuff you should take care of. Below is a list of the five things you must do before leaving for winter break.
1. Tie up any loose ends from classes
When you’re done with all your projects, essays, and exams, thinking back on your semester’s work load is probably far from your mind. But before leaving for break, you definitely want to make sure that you have everything all set in the classes you’ve just finished. Take one last look through your course syllabuses and make sure that you’ve turned in everything you needed to. If you have no idea what kind of grade you’ll be getting, take a minute to talk with your professor to clear up any uncertainties and find out what your grade will reflect.
2. Sell back your textbooks
Never want to look at that five-pound history textbook again? Then sell it! Don’t get caught up in the excitement of finishing classes and forget to sell back the books you used for them. Selling your books back to your school’s bookstore or to an online textbook site is a great way to get easy cash. Often, you can get better money back if you sell sooner rather than later. And if you opted to rent your books instead of buying, don’t forget to return them to the bookstore to avoid fines!
3. Get ready for next semester
You’ve probably already picked your classes for next semester, so now’s the time to get a couple things ready before then. You’ve just sold back your books from this past semester, so while at the bookstore, take the opportunity to get your books for next semester. Pick up any notebooks or other school supplies you know you’ll need too. This may all seem premature, but when you’re back from winter break, you’ll be thankful you got this kind of thing done beforehand.
4. Prepare your room
No one likes coming back from vacation to a dirty room, so tidy things up, do laundry, and throw out any trash. When you get back from winter break, you won’t want to be unpacking your things into chaos. Also be sure to follow the winter break checkout procedure that your building has. Check out these three steps you must take before leaving in our Get Your Dorm Ready for Winter Break Guide!
5. Spend one last night with your friends
If you and your friends at school live far away from campus and each other, then definitely make sure to have a final outing before break. Celebrate the end of classes by getting dinner, taking a trip to the movies, or just goofing around together on campus. It can be a real transition going home for winter break, and you’ll probably find yourself missing your college friends at some point. So congratulate yourselves on getting through the fall semester, have fun with your friends, and be ready for winter break!
