Making the most of staying at university over the winter break

If you're staying in London over the winter break, Student Ambassador Ankur gives tips for juggling studies with relaxation, staying busy and enjoying what the city has to offer. 

So, are you staying in London during the winter break? Excited? Stressed? Somewhere in between? The last seems more likely. That is how it was for me last year when I stayed in London, and I am staying here this year as well. So here are my tips for staying in the city over the holidays.

Outline, plan and balance your time

The first thing, and it is the most daunting of all, is what to do. Some students decide to catch up on their work, and they welcome the winter break. For many students, especially final-year undergraduates and Masters students, this is the peak application season. If you fall into this category, you need to plan and outline your break. As someone who has been through these processes multiple times, I know how stressful the applications can be.  

My top tip is that you need to space out your study and application sessions: Work only as many hours a day as you feel comfortable, don’t stress as you have time, stay hydrated, and space out your session with more enjoyable activities in between. Here are my suggestions on what you can do to make your stay more enjoyable and manageable. Allons-y!

Volunteering: The gift of giving

Charles Dickens, who lived in almost a dozen houses around Bloomsbury and was a lifelong resident of this great city, said of the season, ‘I have always thought of Christmas time... as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time.’ It is always a very joyous and heart-warming sentiment to try to do something, anything, no matter how small, for others who live in less-than-ideal circumstances.  

There is always so much to do, so many places to visit, so many sights to see in London, and never enough time. So, why not start during the winter break?

So, this winter season, when you bring a little joy to somebody, a cloud of happiness shall seek you out as well. You can connect with your local charities. The few I have had the chance to volunteer with in the past are Crisis, Shelter from the Storm, Hackney Night Shelter, Jacksons' Lane and many others. London, after all, is a city of givers.

Move and get some exercise  

While it is so much more fun to enjoy the Christmas delights, sweets and lovely baked goods that come out in the season as the shops are full to the brim with these delicacies, it's important to bring some quiet relaxation to your body as well. Get some exercise. You can join a gym, of course, but you can have more fun going on runs and walks around the city and enjoying the Christmas lights: Run to Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill early in the morning and relish in nature. You can also join a yoga club or a meditation society. And, of course, stay hydrated. 

Walk and see the Christmas lights

What I have always enjoyed and have found quite therapeutic is taking long walks in the city. Dickens used to walk 20 miles a day. I certainly cannot manage that regularly, but maybe a quarter of it seems more doable. Besides, the city looks divine in the evenings. When the sky is darker, and all the Christmas lights glow in their full glory, it is an absolute joy to be here. 

Explore the city

There is always so much to do, so many places to visit, so many sights to see in London, and never enough time. You can spend your entire life in London and still not see more than a tenth of it. But you have to start somewhere, which is a very rewarding experience. So, why not start during the winter break, when the deadlines are not knocking at your door? Visit Kew Gardens, Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park or have an ambitious hike through the Epping Forest? Why not?

The city looks divine in the evenings. When the sky is darker, and all the Christmas lights glow in their full glory, it is an absolute joy to be here. 

And travel further afield

Last year, I planned a trip to the seven sisters and Stonehenge with some friends. Others have visited Bath, York, Salisbury, Oxford, and Cambridge. London is gorgeous, of course, but you can make an affordable little excursion to other beautiful cities in the British Isles as well. 

Spend time with friends

It may seem to be the most obvious thing to do and the note to finish upon for me, but there is an undeniable charm to those little moments spent chatting with friends on a sofa, over tea and biscuits and cakes, and finding a wonderous joy in it all. You can also make it festive by organising a Secret Santa. 

Reach out for support if you need it

The Student Advice and Wellbeing Team have put together a booklet on how to access help and advice throughout the university closure days, what social support is being facilitated by students and the local community, including a services directory and key practical information you may find useful. 

However you choose to spend it, I wish you a relaxing winter break and a Happy New Year!