Beyond the Bubble
As a precursor, this post is probably irrelevant to Dartmouth students who are interning 80 hours a week and getting paid far more than I could ever dream of andis directed instead to those of us with schedules that resemble the unglamorous nine-to-five workday.
While the average day at school involves ridiculously little structure (try complaining about an x-hour to non-Dartmouth friends with 20 hours of class per week), there are precious few moments of pure, unadulterated free time, thanks to the little voice in your head reminding you that there is always a midterm to study for or a resume to build. Of course, you rarely listen to that little voice, but it's always there, however distant.
So what do you do during your off-term when you arrive home at5:30and there's absolutely nothing to do? The answer for me: very little.
At the end of summer, I had big plans for my three months in New York. I dreamt of the days when I could finally partake in pleasure reading once again, when I would have the time to go running everyday, when I could expand my mediocre cooking skills.Well, I'm still on the same chapter of the book I brought with me,my laundry loadon Tuesdayconsisted of shockingly few running shorts andthe only thing I have cooked thus far is pasta (and I am ashamed to admit that my roommate did most of the work).Alas, I have failed miserably. So what am I doing?
I spend half of my post-work hours scrolling through my newsfeed (rush photos have been quite distracting, even though I know approximately seven '16s) and attempting to make my Internet faster (last week's Wi-Fi problem remains unsolved). The rest of my precious time is consumed by television, but I'm not even watching trendy shows likeBreaking Badthat could extend my very limited range of small talk topics. Instead, I convinced myself that rewatching all ten seasons ofFriends(living in New York and all) would be a fantastic idea, even though I have already seen each episode five times. So even my TV watching is unproductive.
During the weekends, I force myself to part with the warmth of my laptop and face the daylight.I have been to a few museums, attended a couple of concerts and even triedyoga (not a positive experience)— in short, much more than I would do during three weeks in Hanover. However, I still fall asleep each Sundayfeeling somewhat guilty for the time I've wasted on the weekdays.
So read this as a cautionary tale and do not make the same mistakes I have. Set goals for your term and try to stick to them. Realize that your hours of free time don't have to be lawless — you can look at Facebook on your commute home and reserve the next few hours for something far more interesting than a stream of Buzzfeed links. Find a friend with a similar work schedule and explore with them. Read Time Out New York or the equivalent for your city and schedule events into your calendar. Make a list of things you want to see and do before your off term ends. And avoid the black hole that is Netflix.