A guide to defeating the long wait ahead

So, you’ve submitted your last assignment, handed in your student card (if you haven’t lost it already), and now you’re wondering what on earth to do until September rolls around again. Fear not, future and returning Coventry students, because there are plenty of ways to fill the months before lectures, society meetings and last-minute essay panics resume.

Here are some fun, chilled and slightly ridiculous ways to kill time until the new semester begins.

1. Become a Local Tourist

You’ve spent months walking past Coventry Cathedral and the Transport Museum, yet somehow never actually gone in. Now’s your chance. Pretend you’re visiting from abroad and explore your university city like it’s the first time. Take questionable selfies, buy a postcard, and confidently walk around with a map. You’ll look mad, but you’ll learn a thing or two.

2. Try Out Jobs You’ll Probably Never Do Again

Summer is prime time for weird and wonderful jobs. Work in a café. Try your hand at retail. Hand out flyers while wearing a giant banana costume. You might discover a hidden talent or gain some fantastic stories for your future “how I paid for uni” memoir. At the very least, you’ll earn some cash for fresher’s week.

3. Start a New Hobby That Will Last Two Weeks

Knitting, baking, rollerskating, ukulele, photography, interpretive dance. You’ve got time to spare, so why not try something new? Will you become the next big thing on YouTube? Probably not. But you might bake a decent banana loaf or learn to balance on wheels for more than five seconds.

4. Binge-Watch Everything Without Guilt

This is your chance to catch up on every show you ignored during deadline season. Watch that boxset. Rewatch that boxset. Watch the behind-the-scenes of that boxset. You’re not wasting time. You’re expanding your cultural horizons. That’s what you’ll tell your flatmates anyway.

5. Reconnect with the World Beyond Campus

Your mum misses you. Your mates from home think you’ve disappeared. Your pet cat has forgotten who you are. Take some time to reconnect with your people. You’ll feel refreshed, maybe even nostalgic enough to actually want to go back to studying.

6. Plan a Trip or Two

Whether it’s a weekend in London or a proper holiday abroad, summer is your time to escape the Midlands bubble. You don’t have to go far or spend loads. Even a spontaneous day trip to somewhere random on the train can be a blast. Bring snacks. Bring friends. Don’t bring coursework.

7. Level Up Your Cooking Skills

If beans on toast has been your signature dish all year, it might be time to branch out. Learn a few recipes that don’t involve a microwave. You’ll thank yourself when term starts again and your flatmates are queuing for your lasagne instead of fighting over takeaways.

8. Get Organised (Sort of)

OK, not the most exciting one, but future you will be very grateful. Sort out your student finance. Buy a new diary. Maybe even skim through a module outline if you’re feeling fancy. Or at the very least, make a vague plan not to leave everything until the night before.

Whatever you do, don’t stress. These months are a rare pocket of freedom before the university chaos begins again. Whether you spend them working, travelling, chilling or chasing squirrels through War Memorial Park (we don’t judge), just enjoy it.

September will come soon enough. Until then, make memories, try new things, and please, for the love of all things academic, don’t forget to set an alarm for your first seminar.