13 things to do once exams are over...
Exams have been a flurry of timetables, checklists, flash cards and heartache. Here's one more checklist for that glorious day when you finish your final exams. Because you deserve it.
1. Keep it simple
It's true - your exams are really over! That means try to avoid over-analysing what you did or didn't do if you can help it. You really won't know how you did until you get your grades on exam results day. Now it's time to reward yourself for all your hard work, so...
2. Show the world what your victory dance looks like
You did it! You really did it! After your final exam it's time to let it ALL hang out. Jump up and down, hug everyone in sight then break out your wildest dance moves and show the world what you’ve got (backing music optional).
3. Have a formal end-of-exams closing ceremony
Tearful Oscar-worthy speeches to your long-suffering pet, burning your geography notes, lap of honour round the living room… have a closing ceremony that puts the Olympics to shame!
4. Take a nostalgia tour
Remember the library, otherwise affectionately known as the prison? Remember all the so-called good times you had there, revising? Now, you can go back to the library and instead of feeling the prickling sweat of fear, inhale the sweet scent of freedom!
5. ZZZZzzzzzzz...
Hooray, sleep! You can now sleep when you want, for how long you want. Sleep is now your friend, not your enemy.
6. Play TV/films/books catch-up
There must be a million TV shows or films you haven’t caught up with yet, because of revision. Now you can binge-watch them all. And those books which you have not touched and have been left on your bed side table, you have the time to read them now…
7. Get your style game on
Maybe you wore the same clothes for days in a row when you were revising. Maybe your hair forgot what a brush felt like. Now it’s time to take control of the situation. New look? Whatever it takes to make you feel great, you do just that!
8. Reclaim your personal space
It’s time to give your bedroom a bit of a shake-up and makeover. Rip your revision timetable off the wall. See how many notes you can shred all at once. Erase the painful memory of all that studying with some redecorating to make your bedroom feel like a place you’d actually want to hang out in again.
9. Make a fun summer checklist
This is not a drill, repeat, this is not a drill… summer is coming! You want to be ready for it, so make a fun checklist of all the things you’re looking forward to doing. Then do them all. Cross everything off the list as you go, like a pro.
10. Remind yourself what the outside world looks like
What is that big round yellow ball in the sky? Is it what the ancients used to call… the sun? It's time to go outside again and remember what the sky looks like and what fresh air feels like! Grab some tunes and go running round the park, or grab some mates and hit the leisure centre for some exercise (even if the weather’s bad, you can pretend it’s proper summer in a heated swimming pool). Maybe it's time to think about a camping trip, or a group visit to the countryside...
11. Remind yourself what your friends look like when they're not wearing their panic-face
Have a pillow fight! Plan a flash mob! Ask for ‘one with everything’ and four spoons at the local ice cream parlour! Do whatever it takes to put a smile on your faces – you deserve it.
And now that's out of your system...
12. Bag some work experience or just fun experience…
Work experience is the perfect thing to do in the summer holidays. It can give you a taste of work you've never tried before but might really enjoy. It can also help you brush up your employability skills and build your CV to impress future employers.
13. Venture into volunteering
Volunteering is such a fun, rewarding thing to do. It can really help your personal development (e.g. building your skills and self-confidence). You could make new friends for life, or see a side of life you've never seen before. From helping nature and wildlife to helping children or homeless people, there's no end to the amazing impact you could have on the world in your holidays. Check out these great organisations and schemes:
vInspired
Duke of Edinburgh's Award
NCS There is still time to join your local National Citizen Service program…
For example, In NCS Warrington, for just £50 you’ll have a week of fun in Wales (Monday to Friday): making new friends and taking parts in different activities; a week on a local campus (Monday to Friday as well): following different workshops and cooking your own meals with your new pals... and on the last two weeks, you will plan and deliver a Social Action Project as part of a small group. Great team building experiences and news friends to make!
