What to do during the semester break?

Every semester break carries its own rhythm: first comes the relief, then the rest, and finally the question: What’s next? For many students, the answer appears in unexpected places: a short online course, a casual club hangout, or even a stroll through a peer-led exhibition. 

Here are three ways students at RMIT are turning their semester breaks into opportunities to rest, reset, and reinvent themself. 

The first thing every student should do during semester break is simple: rest. 

After a busy semester filled with assignments, presentations, exams, and part-time work, it is easy to feel physically and mentally drained. Before planning anything new, give yourself permission to slow down. 

Resetting can look different for every student. Catching up on sleep or binge-watching the latest K-drama may sound like the perfect break plan, and yes, students absolutely deserve it. Yet, rest can be more than just sleeping in; it’s also about recharging your mental health, finding a balance that restores both body and mind.  

Some students discover their reset button in small daily rituals: sleeping without an alarm, spending more time with family and friends, cleaning their study space, cooking proper meals, exercising, journaling, or taking a short trip. For others, it may simply mean doing nothing for a few days without feeling guilty. 

Taking time to pause and enjoy the quiet little moments often missed in a fast-paced routine allows energy to return naturally.  

And by the time classes roll back around, students who carve out this kind of rest often feel not just less tired but genuinely refreshed, stepping into the new semester with energy, clarity, and a renewed sense of motivation.

Once students have had time to rest and recharge, semester break can become the perfect opportunity to step outside the usual routine and learn something new. 

The possibilities often start small. A short online course, a new software tutorial, a portfolio refresh. Or even a personal project that has been waiting quietly in the “maybe later” folder for months. With more time and fewer academic deadlines, semester break gives students the space to follow these small curiosities and turn them into practical skills. 

“During the semester, I’m usually caught up in assignments, group meetings and weekly class preparation, so it’s hard to find extra time to learn something outside the curriculum,” shared Anh Thuong, a second-year Professional Communication student. “Over the break, I finally had time to take a short course on typography design, which is something I’ve always been interested in. It felt like a small but meaningful way to upgrade my skills before the next semester.” 

Across RMIT, students are using their semester break to experiment with free learning tools such as Adobe Creative Cloud, coding basics, project management platforms, and design software. These learning moments may not come with grades, but they often become valuable strengths students bring back into class discussions, creative assignments, internship applications, and future job interviews. 

During the semester, social life can easily become something squeezed between deadlines, group meetings, and late-night study sessions. Semester break gives students the chance to slow down and return to the people, communities, and activities that make university life feel more meaningful. 

At RMIT, reconnecting does not always have to happen through big events or formal activities. Sometimes, it can be as simple as joining a casual club hangout, visiting a student exhibition, catching up with classmates, or spending an afternoon doing something fun together outside the classroom. 

For the RMIT Photography Club, semester break became a chance to bond in a slightly unexpected way: through badminton. 

“After a whole semester of chasing deadlines and chasing the perfect shot, we thought it was time to chase something else: the badminton shuttle,” shared Le Dam Quan, President of RMIT Photography Club.  

“Not everyone in the club is a badminton pro, but that made it even more fun. We got to move, sweat, cheer for each other, and spend time together without cameras or project briefs. It was a great reminder that bonding does not always need to be a big event. Sometimes, all it takes is a court, a few rackets, and friends who are willing to miss the shuttle together,” he shared. 

These small moments of connection are often what students remember most. Beyond classes and assignments, university life is also shaped by friendships, shared interests, and communities that students build along the way. 

Semester breaks may look different for every student, but the best ones have a rhythm: a moment to recharge, a chance to reinvent, and opportunities to reconnect. At RMIT, students are showing that these simple hacks can turn time off into something transformative. So when the next break comes around, think of it not only as a pause, but as a chance to make your journey at RMIT stronger, more connected, and truly unforgettable. 

Story: Tram Hoang, a Professional Communication student at RMIT Vietnam. This article does not reflect the views of RMIT Vietnam.