It’s that time of year again. With summer inching closer, the time of freedom is nearly upon us. For some of you lucky things, you’ve already finished exams, assessments have been submitted and whether you’ve passed or failed (hopefully passed), you can breathe a sigh of relief that you’re finished for the year. And you may be asking yourself what should you do with all this free time you now have? Lucky for you, I have compiled some go-to activities into a list that you can now partake in with your freedom in hand!

Go to the gym

We can all agree that the stress of assessments and exams has gotten to us. And with that has come a whole lot of stress eating. And it’s okay! Sometimes you just get so stressed you have to buy and eat a whole cheesecake. We’ve all been there — there’s no judgement here. But now that uni is over for the year, it’s a good time to treat our bodies with some self-care! And if you haven’t got a gym membership, you can always do other activities like go for a swim or for a run. The sky is the limit!

Catch up on your favourite TV shows

The worst part about the assessment/exam grind is the lack of time we have to watch our favourite TV shows. Netflix and other streaming platforms have been on a real roll this year, bringing out some great originals and also adding a few old favourites (Avatar: The Last Airbender am I right guys?). And with your new found freedom intact, it is the perfect time to get cosy with a TV show and binge. There’s nothing better after finishing your last major assessment or exam than holing up in your room for a week just watching TV.

Getting round to that hobby you never get to do anymore

With assessments, mid-sems and end of semester exams, it’s really hard to remember that there are things in life that we enjoy doing. You know that book you’re halfway through? Maybe you have a penchant for the great outdoors? That roll of film you have sitting around? Or maybe you have a recipe you’re just dying to try out. Now you can! With months and months of free time, you can now really do just that! And if by chance you do have a hobby for cooking, I am available for free tastings.

Get a summer job/internship

With freedom comes great responsibility. And by responsibility I mean that your summer plans are going to look incredibly less fun if you haven’t got a job to fund those plans. With Christmas nearing, retail and hospitality jobs are popping up and it might just do you good to start applying. As someone who has worked numerous Christmases in retail, I can assure you it is definitely mind-numbingly painful and you’ll want to quit at least once a week. And then you’ll get your payslip delivered and you’ll forgot why you wanted to quit in the first place.

But on the other hand, this is also a great time to partake in a summer internship! We’re all probably going to struggle to find a job after our degrees anyways (great employment market and all), so it is definitely worthwhile trying to graduate with some internships under your belt! And the semester break is the best time to find an internship with lots of companies looking to hire summer interns.

Explore non-beach activities

It’s the plight of everyone’s life by the time exams finish and summer rolls around: the beaches are over-crowded. So why not find some non-beach activities to do for the summer! There are some great places in Perth, like Rocky Pools or Lesmurdie Falls, that may not be as over-crowded but will also keep you cool in this hot weather. If you’re up for a drive, you can also head over to spots like Black Diamond Lake, Lane Poole Reserve or Honeymoon Pool.

And there you have it, some ways to spend your new found freedom and to keep you busy until the next semester of uni starts back up again. However the one thing you shouldn’t do if you’re finished for the semester, is brag about how much freedom you have to the rest of us who have yet to cross the finish line. Whilst you’re enjoying the glorious weather, we’ll be indoors, studying and willing for it all to come to an end. So when you’re drink a pina colada by the pool, have a sip for us and know that we will join you very soon.