Filling that time between lectures can sometimes be a bit challenging – especially if you only have an hour or two before you have to get to your next class! This blog has a variety of different ideas for things that you can do in between your lectures, written by Maybelle, Mun and Tee from our Advice and Welfare Executive Committee.
- Playing board games in Student Union
Playing board games in the Student Union can be a fun way to spend time with friends during breaks. There is a wide variety of board games available, and for those who are interested in ping pong, ping pong equipment is also available at the Welcome Centre – just be sure that you return the equipment once you’ve finished using it!
During breaks or lunchtime, students can enjoy a variety of food options in the Cathays area. For example, the Students’ Union offers affordable £2 lunches, while Aquinas Hall has £1 lunches every Tuesday. Alternatively, students can take advantage of Tesco’s £3.40 meal deal using their Tesco Clubcard, which includes a main, snack, and drink (with a choice of hot coffee). Grabbing a coffee or a bite to eat is a great way to recharge and refuel for the rest of the day.
- Walking back to accommodation
If the break is up to 4 hours, taking a walk back to accommodation can be beneficial. Students can use the time to recharge themselves by taking a nap or preparing their ingredients for dinner. It is also a comfortable space to pre-read and prepare for the content of your next lecture.
~ by Mun Chung, 3rd year Psychology, Student Advice and Welfare Executive Committee Member
Breaks in between lectures can be incredibly frustrating as you end up getting lost on what to spend your time on. Here are a few of my favourite things to do to pass the time:
Living in the city centre, groceries can be expensive and so I often head down to Lidl in between classes to purchase my groceries and necessities. Although it might be a bit annoying to lug around bags of food to class and back home, I find myself doing this often to prevent myself from spending too much time in grocery shops (as there is now a time limit and without it I can go for hours just browsing through stuff).
- Relaxing in the lounge in the SU with friends
Sometimes after class you need a breather and you need to relax before getting your brain up and running again. For times like these, I like to head down to the Lounge on the 3rd floor of the Students Union building and play a few games or have a nice chat. Pool, table tennis or board games can be fun to relieve some stress from the previous lecture. Or if you prefer you can just sit down on one of the sofas and watch Netflix on your device, it has a nice environment where people all around you are just having a good time.
- Studying / catching up on some work in the ASSL
Although I do not often do this, sometimes it is necessary when you are behind on deadlines and need to do some work. It also helps relieve some stress as now when you finish class you have less work to do or even sometimes you have finished all the work you needed to complete and now all that’s left to do when you get back from lectures is to relax and have fun. Doing this allows you to have more free time after lectures and it is productive as you are already in the mindset of focusing and studying after your lecture and staying in that mindset will also help you in your next lecture.
~ by Maybelle Angdjaja, 1st year Psychology, Student Advice and Welfare Executive Committee Member
In between lectures, I often want to rest up and prepare for the next one to come. This means I often head down to the Bioscience Café and grab a coffee with my course mates. In longer breaks, I also often head into town as it’s a short walk away. Here, you can spend your time in countless different ways, I would normally choose to window shop and spend time in one of the many adorable coffee shops in the arcades. However, if you’re looking for a more productive way to spend your break, a trip to the library would be the best way to spend your time. The Science Library or the Bute Library works best for me as it’s the closest to my lecture buildings, however, there are a vast number of different study spaces you can find across the Uni, so you are guaranteed to find one near you!
~ by Tee Ketheeswaran, 2nd year Biomedical Sciences, Student Advice and Welfare Executive Committee Member