The Best Activities to Keep Yourself Busy on Campus Between Classes

By Ian Donnelly

There’s no such thing as a perfect class schedule. Finding the balance between all the courses you want to take and the limited class times available is a tricky task, and most students get stuck with time between classes to spare.

Now before you fire up your go-to social media app and scroll your free time away, it might be in your best interest to put that lull in your schedule to good use. There are tons of ways to turn your spare time into time well spent, but if you need some ideas, here’s the top 5 ways to keep yourself busy between classes!

Hit That Homework

I’m sure you saw this one coming, but doing your homework really is the best use of your break between classes. Every course you take in college will shell out homework in one form or another, whether it’s a page count to read by the next class, weekly worksheet assignments, or bigger projects that you should be chipping away at.

If you can’t think of any homework to do between classes, you may want to scan over your all your course syllabi and double check—odds are you’ll find one or two you forgot about.

Review and Prepare

You just got out of a class, right? What did you learn? Did you take good notes? Do you fully understand the concepts? Can you explain them in your own words like you’ll inevitably be asked to do for a test, paper, or presentation?

Instead of waiting until your next exam to learn everything all over again, use your class-to-class intermission to recap what you just learned. It’s the ideal time to go over your notes, review any lecture resources that your professor provides, and skim back over any readings the lesson covered. It may not sound like the most fun you could have during a break between classes, but it’s better than staring wide-eyed at long-forgotten material when you sit down to study for finals.

Do Some Laundry

I don’t even have to ask—I know you need to do some laundry.

It’s the simplest task that every college student perpetually puts on the backburner, but there’s no excuse for neglecting the chore when you have some spare time between classes. And if you have a mid-day class break, you can probably run home and get it done with some free time to spare. Everyone else is out and about in the middle of the day, so it really is the perfect time to head back to your apartment, grab all those dirty clothes, and step right up to all those empty, available laundry machines—and hey, with the entire place to yourself, you can even save time by doing multiple loads at once!

Exercise

No matter how long your break is or what your personal fitness goals are, you can fit an endorphin-pumping workout into your down time on campus. In fact, your class-to-class interlude is a perfect time slot for reaping the full benefits of a workout routine. Exercising has been scientifically proven to boost your energy, heighten your focus, and improve your overall mental health, and a mid-schedule workout can put you in the best mindset for your next class.

Your campus’ gym will most likely have all the equipment you need, and most colleges offer free or discounted gym memberships to students. Or, if you prefer a little fresh air, you can always go for a walk or run around campus—whatever best suits your schedule and encourages you to get on your feet! No one wants a boring workout, after all.

Look for Your Dream Job

Why wait until you graduate to get started on your job search? There are plenty of ways that college students can get a head start in the job market. You can always bring your laptop to campus, or head to the computer lab during your break and use your free time to research your ideal career path.

Creating a Linkedin profile, keeping your resume up-to-date, and brushing up on your cover letter-writing skills are all great ways to pass the time between classes. You can also browse popular job posting sites, look for any upcoming internship opportunities that take your resume to the next level, or keep an eye out for career fairs happening at your university. Many colleges hold career fairs that draw top-notch companies specifically seeking recent graduates, giving you a great opportunity to make some valuable contacts for the future.

The key to keeping yourself busy between classes is to be productive. As nice as a nap in the library sounds, it’s probably not the best use of your down time. During your time in college, it’s important to remain focused, active, and energized throughout the day.

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