Blake Glosson

Over break, I will do job shadowing, prepare to lead a young adult’s ministry at my church and I might even do some laundry once or twice.

But, let’s be honest, what would I actually accomplish by describing my winter plans to you? Unless you had some sort of invested interest in me or you were beyond bored, there wouldn’t be a point for you to read this column. Instead, I’ll give three life hacks you can use to return from break a different person.

If you really want to freak out a professor, use the next four weeks to learn the material for one of your spring classes. Not only would this make studying less stressful and improve your chance at getting an A, but you could saunter into class on Jan. 12 as the smartest student in the classroom. If you aren’t that nerdy, use this time to regularly hit the gym and eat healthy. You’d be surprised at the results you can produce in just one month. Finally, ease into your New Year’s resolution now. One of the biggest reasons for resolution failure is too much change too fast. Begin changes now — you won’t regret it.

Marilou Terrones

I’ll return to an old job during winter break.

I hope to network so when I step into the building during summer break I don’t work for the administrative department and will instead work for the public relations department.

I will also be saving money for the upcoming semester. I’ll have to fight the urge to shop during my lunch break by reminding myself that although my parents’ home is cozy — my mom will feed me while I’m there — I’ll have bills to pay after the break.

Even though I’ll be working most of the time, I hope to find free time to do things I enjoy outside of schoolwork, such as reading and writing. By embracing the English major qualities in me, I hope to stop, or at least lessen, the time I spend binge-watching shows on Netflix.

I will dearly miss watching back-to-back episodes of popular shows and spending days in my bed; however, I’ll learn to ignore the little voice that says Netflix is a better choice during the school year and will increase my level of productivity.

Mohammed Taha Faridi

I’m applying for an assistantship, whether it’s a research, graduate or teaching one.

For this, I’m taking online, technical courses while brushing up on my communication skills. I’m also looking for referrals from graduate, research and teaching assistants. An assistantship would give me a tuition waiver and a modest income so I could complete the rest of my education.

To have an advantage over my peers, I’m researching the courses I’m enrolled in for next semester and trying to grasp the main points of those subjects.

Writing is a particularly important skill for the information technology field, which is my area of study. I plan on reading as many books and newspapers as possible to improve this skill.

Finally, I’m looking at the previous semester to figure out the mistakes I made on my coursework. I plan on making the best out of the opportunities I’ll get next semester.

After the winter break is finished, I’d like to be a much better and sharp information technology engineer student.

Carl Nadig

The first thing I’m going to do is turn off my phone for a few days.

I’ll start reading books I’ve put off, clean up my room and enjoy some peace, like Bilbo Baggins did before the staff-carrying jerk known as Gandalf pulled him out of his home and endangered his life.

I’ll hang a sign on my front porch — “No admittance, except on party business” — to inform any rude wizards I’m on holiday.

I’ll also start spending time with friends and begin enjoying the holidays. I’ll stock up on food because you never know when a wizard randomly shows up at the door and invites himself — along with 13 singing dwarves — into your home.

One always has to prepare themselves for the worst during the winter, so I’ll put plastic on all of my windows. This will help prevent any snooping wizards from peering into my house, wondering if I’ll be able to help reclaim a lost kingdom from Benedict Cumberbatch.

Once I’m settled in, I’ll probably go see a movie. I’m leaning towards “The Pyramid.”