Living on Campus during Summertime

As an international student living on campus, it may seem like your summer is bound to be full of long, boring days – especially now that most students have returned home and have left the campus feeling a little deserted. But that doesn’t have to be the case! I stayed on-campus during the summer time for two years and found that there actually are great things I can do to keep myself from being bored all summer long. Here’s a few great ways I spend my time…

Socialise!

Although the amount of students on campus over summer is significantly less than at other times of the year, you definitely will not be alone. Just like you, there are other students on campus who are open to socialising and having fun – some might even be people you already know! So reach out to them and spend some time together – even if it’s just to do something small/inexpensive like watching a movie on Netflix together.

Travel and Explore

Being free from the pressures of deadlines and coursework is great, but you might start to get a bit bored when most of your friends are at home/on holiday and you’ve caught up on all the little things you wanted to catch up on. So, why not take advantage of your free time to visit your surroundings? From places close by, like Hatfield House and St. Albans Cathedral, to cities and towns miles away there are a million and one things for you to do here. And what better time for you to explore what the varying locations have to offer than during the lovely British summer?

Get a Part Time Job

In between all that travelling and socialising, you might end up spending more money than you normally would during term time, so you might want to consider getting a part-time job. It’s not only an additional way to fund your summer fun, but it’s also a great way to gain some relevant experience and develop your skills. However, it’s important to remember that you can only work for a maximum of 20 hours every week during term time – so make sure to take care when it comes to that! You can have a look on the Students’ Union website and the Careers Hub website  throughout the year to find some jobs that might appeal to you.


Attend Workshops/Events

Another rather useful and beneficial option I’ve found, is to attend workshops and events to develop my skill set. Over summer, there are so many events designed for you to build your professional network and potentially give your CV a boost. The events section of the Careers Hub is a great place to find workshops and careers fairs taking place both internally and externally – and the best part is that most of them are completely free to attend! An added benefit is that you can meet other people who are probably students living on campus and build some great friendships!

Written by Judith Ogboru - International Student