J-term. Interim. January Term. Whatever you call it, the month of January in Minnesota can sometimes be a drag. But with many students having a more open schedule, it doesn’t have to be. Taking on an extra job or planning bigger events with the people around you can spice up the long, cold three weeks. Here are my suggestions:
1. Host your own film festival.
First step, curate a guest list. Invite your roomies, acquaintances and professors and send out a Google form for participants to enter their film in the festival. Are they making this film? No. They are merely selecting a movie and claiming it as their own. Then, host a night where everyone comes to the festival and you binge the movies. You can go as far as you want with this bit. Make goofy awards to give out to each submission. Have movie-themed snacks. Make each submitter write an explanation about why their movie should win the festival and design a movie poster to advertise their film. You have unlimited potential.
2. Rearrange your entire room.
Let’s be honest: Autumn caught wind and blew past us. It was new and exciting, and now it’s mundane. Maybe you’re bored of being in your room all the time, but it’s too cold to go anywhere else. Rearrange your room. And not just your desk, your whole room. Turn it into a game: Nothing can remain in the same place. Bonus points if your roommate is abroad, off-the-grid, and returns to the new layout.
3. Learn to paint, and paint away.
People are afraid of hobbies. More specifically, they’re afraid they might be bad at them. One example of this is painting. Many people never pick up some acrylic colors and a brush because they “aren’t good.” Good is relative. Enjoy yourself. Buy a set of paints, watch a few tutorials and let your imagination take off. Create an art gallery in your room and hang your new work. If you want to host a great painting night, put Bob Ross on the projector.
4. Get from North to Freshman Hill without using your feet.
Okay, I’ll admit that this isn’t a well-developed idea. As a recent North resident, I’m scared of what this winter looks like for me. I know the brisk wind in my ears is going to be too much, and I need to start coming up with faster ways to get around campus. So, I propose: the No Feet Challenge. Grab a sled, army crawl, roll. What will be the fastest way? Make it a competition.
5. Steal your roommate’s fish and make a scavenger hunt to find it.
I’ve never done this (that’s not true). Do exactly what it says. Enlist someone you know to watch the fish and write clues to get there. Put your roommate in a room that should have a fish but doesn’t, and let them go ham. It’s a great way to get exercise in the cold. People will run for a missing fish. Not that I would know.
6. Complete a “24 hours in the buildings” challenge.
Disclaimer: I don’t know if this is allowed. Complete this challenge at your own risk.
Grab a group of friends who are up for an adventure and scope out the best locations. Some things to consider: Where are the comfiest chairs? Where could we project movies? What rooms would be hidden enough to enjoy your peace? What TAs do you know that can get you in different rooms? What snacks do you need to bring?
7. Make and complete a bucket list.
At the end of the day, I don’t know you. BUT, I want you to have a great J-Term, so do what makes you happy. Sit down and make a bucket list for the month of January. Put everything you want to do on there, no matter how big or small the goal is. And then, do it. All of it. Hold yourself accountable and complete the whole list. Here are my suggestions to get you started: try three new coffee shops, overthrow the government, visit Great Wolf Lodge, volunteer somewhere, try ice skating, build a pillow fort.
Do something this January. Don’t let it pass you by.
