Nicolette Petra

With semester 2 timetables released today, the fact uni is just around the corner is starting to set in. So, how should you spend your last week of freedom? We’re glad you asked…

Take Off Those Rose-Coloured Glasses

Often, the end of a holiday break brings the feeling of wishing we had spent our time more wisely - setting up that start-up, getting a leg up in career experience, reading more - basically, anything other than staying in bed and bingeing Netflix for days on end. No doubt for many of us, the inability to socialise with friends as we would have pre-corona (restauranting, clubbing, and brunching in big groups) also took its toll. And even with the extra month off, the time seemed to fly during this extended break (how even?!).

The cure? Spend some time this week doing the things you promised yourself you’d do at the beginning of the break. Reach out to a friend, organise a video call, take a covid-safe day trip, anything that will have you feeling like you made the most of your break.

Cram in One Last Binge

On the other hand, chewing your way through a few more series before uni stress kicks in, could be the way to go. Grab the Tim-Tams and popcorn, or go the bougie route and set up a cheeseboard, before grabbing every pillow and blanket in the house, and drawing the curtains for the best week-long solo sleepover of your life. Or at the very least, keep up to date with The Bachelor and Pulp’s recaps of every episode. Just remember to reemerge for your first uni classes next Monday.

Read Up on the Government’s Changes to Uni Education

If you’re attending uni, you should probably know the 411 on what the government is changing about uni life, right? Spend some time educating yourself on everything from the Federal Government raising university fees to the recent announcement that “students who fail more than 50 per cent their classes after taking at least eight units will no longer be able to access a Commonwealth-supported place or a HECS-HELP”. Then figure out what you can do to stop the changes and educate others. After all, these changes directly affect us.

Spring Clean

Avoid procrasti-cleaning during the early weeks of the semester with a solid cleaning sesh this week. Don’t just crack out the ol’ mop and vacuum - make like Marie Condo and go through your wardrobe, bathroom and kitchen seeing what sparks joy, what doesn’t and what can be donated, so you can go into semester and September with a ‘spring’ in your step.

Start Sem 2 on the Front-foot

USyd is known for inconveniently releasing timetables and unit of study outlines right before students begin their studies, giving us limited time to prep for classes or put in availabilities for work. Beat this semesterly struggle, by being proactive. Keep an eye on your inbox for emails so you can rearrange your timetable if you’re not about that four-days-a-week life, contact your tutors or unit coordinators if you run into a class clash, and download your outlines as soon as they’re on Canvas so you can buy your textbookings from a second-hand website like Zookal or StudentVIP, or, for the social butterflies among us, get in touch with your friends in older cohorts to take advantage of those sweet mates rates.

Relax

Soak in the last week with an air of indulgence. Do what you like, when you like, and rejoice in not having any uni readings...at least for a few more days.

Semester 2 starts on Monday 24th August.

How to Spend Your Last Week of Uni Break