10 Ways to Keep Learning… Even After Finals Are Over

For many college students, finals are over and summer is among us! Camping trips, vacations, and road trips are being planned and the many textbooks we collected through the semester are being shut away in the back of closets. For many freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, they won’t be opening a book again until the fall semester. And for the seniors that just graduated? I’m pretty sure that reading is off their radar for awhile.

I think that living in a world where limitless knowledge is  literally at our finger-tips, has caused us to take intelligence for granted. We are scrolling through Instagram instead of having conversations, watching How I Met Your Mother on Netflix (guilty) over documentaries, and considering Elite Daily articles actual reading.

This past month I have been doing a lot of soul searching on my goals for the next chapter in my life. For the first time in over 15 years, I will be out of school for 8 months. And to be honest, that scares the heck out of me! I’ve always enjoyed school and held education at a high standard in my life. So it didn’t take me very long to decide that these next few months would be full of very intentional self-education.

 

Thinking about the new habits I wanted to implement into my life got me so excited! I realized I was no longer bound to the schedule of exams and projects  and that I could broaden my study beyond my major. While I am passionate about my major, and can NOT wait until the day I am a nurse, I have many other interests that get pushed to the back burner while the semester is in progress. 

While summer is great for adventures, and exploring, don’t go back to school next fall knowing the same things (or less…) than you do now. Here are 10 ways to keep learnin’ all summer long!

1. READ -Ok.. I know everyone doesn’t pull all-nighters to finish a book, or read an entire series in a weekend (guilty) but I encourage to anyone with the excuse of “not liking to read”, to keep trying! If you need recommendations, I got you. 

2. Write -Keep a journal, write a letter, contribute to a blog.. Get practice putting your thoughts into words without emojis and texting lingo helping you out. 

3. Travel -Whether it’s another country, or someplace new down the street, GO! I have learned some of the craziest things just from being in a new place.

4. Try something new -Take a class on something you’ve never done before, eat a new food…fill your life with as many different experiences as you can.

5. Watch a documentary -If you need a good one, go watch “Living on a Dollar”, “Maxed Out”, or “Happy” on Netflix.

6. Talk to people -Hear their stories, learn from their insight, and gain perspective on how other people live their lives. 

7. Listen to podcasts -We spend enough time in our cars to earn a college degree! While I’m all for tone-deaf car concerts, that time can be spent learning something new. All those car rides add up!

8. Get a job -If you have only ever worked in a restaurant, or a clothing store, try something new. Even a lateral transfer in the same company will teach you new things and have you engage yourself and others in new ways. 

9. Study another language -Because being bilingual can help you process new information more efficiently! Check out Duolingo.com for a free resource that helps translate the web into other languages while you learn. 

10. Get artistic -Paint, draw, sculpt… Being creative and engaging with visual stimuli causes more neurons to fire in the right hemisphere of your brain. This helps increase creativity and imagination, while also making an individual more emotionally connected to others. 

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Thank you so much for reading! If you need any recommendations on books, podcasts, or documentaries, we would love to hear from you and help you out! ♡

-Kaelyn Moody

Comment below and share your favorite way to be a life-long learner.