It feels strange to be writing this, but this is my final Christmas as a student. I graduate next summer, which is also strange to be thinking about. As this is my final Christmas as a student, I thought I would share my honest experiences about what it's like to be a student during the festive period. From workload, to finances and packing tips, I think after three Christmas', I've got this nailed.
You might be thinking that Christmas is no different from any other time of years for students, but I'd say that it's quite difficult. It's a stressful period due to academic and financial pressures. The aim of today's blog post is to share my honest experience and reassure my fellow students that Christmas can still be fun as a student.
Workload
Obviously, I have to preface this with this is going to be entirely based on my experiences as a student. This will link to my course and therefore I cannot speak for other courses. I am going to try and be as broad as a I can. Like most things in life, everything is unique to the individual and this is unique to me.
Christmas is usually when the first term ends for most students. It can bring a lot of stress with it, as it means winter exams and deadlines are just around the corner. I have found that I have had a lot of work to complete the last two Christmas', but I have also managed to have some time away and spend time with my family. It's highly unlikely that as a student, you are going to be sitting around at Christmas with no university work to do.
My tip would be to come up with some kind of schedule or set time you can do work. This will mean when you do want to spend time with your family, you won't have that awful workload hanging over you. This is my first year as a student that I don't have deadlines in early January as my workload has been pushed back to the end of the month. This doesn't mean I won't have work to do. As a final year student, I have a lot of work to do for my assessments. I have plans to take Christmas Eve to Boxing Day off and then New Years Eve and Day off. This give me deadlines to meet with all my university work.
It can be tempting to relax more during the Christmas holidays, but by making sure you get work done, it means there will be less stress further down the line. If you have time to do a bit of extra work, do it! This is something I'm hoping to do this year so when I go back to university in January, I'll have done some of the work that's been looming over, making next term as stress free as possible.
Finances
Another concern for students at this time of year is finances. Christmas is undeniably expensive. I feel the pressure each year, especially as I have my dad's birthday in December as well. My number one tip, one that might seem fairly obvious, is to set budgets. For my family, I spend around £40-£50 on each of them. My best friend and I, as we're both students, set price limits for each other to make it even and not a strain on our bank accounts. I've done Secret Santa with my housemates the past few years and we've always set budgets. Budgets are really your best friends as students as it's amazing how far you can make your money go while still being able to treat yourself every now and then.
Another tip would be to take advantages of any sales you can. It may only save you a fiver, but that's £5 more than you would have had. Due to the Pandemic, I bought all my Christmas presents a lot earlier than normal and took advantage of the Black Friday Sales. It meant I saved a little bit on my presents, which was a huge relief.
Obviously, it's a bit different this year for students to go out and get jobs. For some, this isn't an option. I have a part time job that I work on a zero hour contract through my university and due to the current situation, I haven't had many shifts. If you can get work from home jobs and this fits with your lifestyle, then I would highly recommend it.
I think it's important to remember that Christmas isn't about the gifts. If you can, buy something second hand or make something. It's always the thought that counts.
Packing
My final section of student and Christmas life is about packing to go home. If, like me, you live away from home for university during term time, then packing is something you dread. This year especially as students in the UK have no idea when they will be allowed to return.
My first tip would be to pack based on priority. I always pack my clothes first if I can. I'm very lucky that for the past two years, I have been able to steal the families massive suitcase to lug my clothes between home and university. I personally take the clothes I know I'm going to wear, which does end up being the majority of my clothes. Do I end up wearing all the clothes I bring home? No. But it's nice to have the option to if it arrives.
The next section I pack are my university essentials. I study Creative and Professional Writing, which means I have a lot of essential books I need to bring home. I always make sure I've packed those first as I can live without my books for fun as I have ones I want to read at home. I like knowing that I have everything I'm going to need to continue my studies.
Packing by section makes an overwhelming task manageable as it spreads the work out into bite size chunks. It is difficult working out what you should and shouldn't take home for Christmas. I've always gone home for five weeks at Christmas which means I take a lot of stuff home with me. Each year, I have approached packing this way and made it a manageable task.
I hope this blog post has portrayed what it is like to be a student at Christmas in an honest a way as possible. It is tough being a student and having work to do while wanting to spend time with loved ones. I hope this helps any students reading this.
Carenza :) x
