For the freshman this year, this hurricane is something new and scary. But for old, seasoned Carolina students, our yearly hurricane has come and we're ready. Every year is different; the news predicts a terrible storm that will wipe the whole university away. We're told to stay inside and stockpile water and canned goods, but of course, USC students never listen. If you're unsure how to spend your hurricane break, here are a few suggestions.
Go home!
If you really are afraid for your safety and hoping to catch up on some family time, go home. A USC hurricane break is always at least a week so you have plenty of time to go home and see your family. Flights may be a little expensive so you can use the USC Facebook group to connect with other students heading to your hometown.
Go on vacation
My freshman year, despite logic, I went to Myrtle Beach. It was rainy and terrible for a day but the rest of the break was warm and sunny and probably one of the best experiences of my college career. Take a little trip with your friends; go to a place you've never been before and explore. Use your time off to take a breather from the stress of college.
Sleep
College does a number on your sleep schedule, making it almost impossible to fix it ever again in your adult life. Use this time off to catch up on some sleep. You may never get this time again so use it wisely!
Finish a Netflix series...or two
Assuming your power doesn't go out, take this time to finish that Netflix series you've been itching to finish. You don't have much else to do, so find some blankets, let the rain hit the window pane, and figure out what happens to all your favorite characters.
Bake!
Again, assuming your power doesn't go out, bake your heart out. You don't have anything better to do so take to Pinterest and bake the hours away. You'll have some goodies for after the storm too!
Do some homework
Probably the least desirable of the choices, you could take this time to finish some work and possibly get ahead. College often means crunch time where you have to get a certain amount of assignments done by deadlines, and with all the deadlines scrambled around by the storm, you could use that to your advantage.
Hurricane Party
Get together with your friends that haven't left and have a party with games, movies, and snacks. If you're 21, buy all the alcohol you can before the storm hits and hunker down and celebrate.
Read a couple of books
If the power does go out, a good book or two could keep you company. It's crazy how quickly the hours pass when you get lost in a book.
Rearrange your room
Not happy with the way your bed pushes up against your desk? Don't usually have time to fix it? Go to town on your room and use your downtime to recreate it.
Craft time!
Simple bracelet making and painting can be therapeutic and take up quite a bit of time, so before the storm hits, grab some crafts from the dollar store and revert back to your childhood.
Flag football
While probably not the safest option, a few of my friends played a muddy, rainy game of flag football last year and said they had the time of their lives. You won't find me out in the storm trying to tear my ACL again, but if you want to have a Leatherheads experience, go for it.
Go to the gym.
If you live in an apartment complex you're bound to have a small gym in the building. Keep active and burn some daylight in the gym. You don't have to leave the building to go and who doesn't like to sweat a little?
Do nothing
You're welcome to do absolutely nothing. You have five days off of school to waste your life away and it won't affect you in any way, so why not? Use this time to detox from the stresses of college and recharge your brain for next week.
Of course, this is only a guide and there are many other things you can do with this random week of freedom, but most importantly be safe. Keep track of the news and notify your family often that you are safe. You'll learn to love the hurricane break I promise, but make sure you know what you're doing.