You know how they always ask you about your hobby as an ice-breaker or to assess you as a candidate, and you feel awkward because nothing comes to mind except "hanging out with friends and watching Netflix"? You are not alone! However, they are asking for a reason. Having a hobby makes you more grounded. It shows that you have interests outside of studies and work – a resource to restore your energy, resist burnout, and withstand stress. These are nice qualities to have both for your CV and for yourself.
For those struggling to find their passion, we have compiled this quick bucket list of hobbies that can teach you some valuable skills and look good on applications!
Cheap Hobbies for College Students
As a student, you probably don't have a lot of money to burn. However, not all hobbies require a generous budget. Some of them might even save you some funds. Try one of these!
Cooking and baking
Homemade meals are both cheaper and healthier as opposed to eating out. Moreover, the process itself can be very entertaining and therapeutic. Most people don't even realize how fun it can be until they stop seeing cooking as a chore and get into the pure alchemy of it. Start by following tried and true recipes. Then, when you are confident enough, you can start experimenting with ingredients and spices.
Writing
Writing as a hobby doesn't require additional investment and offers many benefits in return for invested time. You can keep a journal to self-reflect and practice mindfulness or start writing creatively on a platform like Wattpad, Miraquill, or Inkitt. Who knows? If you become good at it, you may even earn money through self-publishing.
Another way to monetize your knack for words is joining a freelancing platform and produce miscellaneous copy for a buck. You will be surprised how many people are out there, pleading, "Write my paper for me!" and offering dough in return.
Origami
The ancient Japanese art of paper folding and sculpting is great as a hobby. You can start from something simple and easy and gradually progress to complex sculptures. Apart from flexing your creative muscles, it will boost your brain health and cognitive functions and improve problem-solving skills. You don't need any specific equipment to start. Just get a sheet of paper and look up some schemes for beginners online.
Good Hobbies for College Students
Some hobbies you do for fun, others help you build useful skills. Here are some of the best hobbies for college students that will get you ready for the future.
Coding
Coding has been proclaimed a new literacy. Since then, it consistently tops every list of hobbies for high school students and college kids regardless of their major. If there is a versatile skill that you will be able to apply in the future – coding is definitely it. Why not try it out, no strings attached? Join one of many online classes that, although won't grant a degree, will teach you coding for free. Treating it as a hobby will make it more fun.
Yoga and meditation
Unlike other popular workout practices, yoga is not only about fitness. It is about mindfulness and balance. Yoga is a rich system of spiritual, physical, and mental exercises that help you control your emotions, resist distractions, keep focus, and maintain physical and psychological health. There are plenty of free resources online – yoga apps for beginners, YouTube videos, and guided meditation playlists. Start with 5 to 15 minutes a day and watch the improvements.
Restoration and DIY
Candle making, sewing, furniture restoring, scrapbooking – these are just a few of the most popular DIYs that make a great hobby. Starting a DIY project distracts you from daily life stressors and allows you to plan, focus, relax, work with your hands, learn a new skill, and save money! Plus, creating something from scratch is a very empowering feeling.
Summer Hobbies for College Students
Your time in college is usually pretty intense – filled with academic load and socializing half and half. Summer gives a welcome break from all the hassle and stress but can sometimes seem boring. How about these activities to help you pass the time?
Gardening
Although gardening is often seen as one's prospect for retirement rather than a summer break, it is among the really cool hobbies with many benefits for young people as well. The most obvious are moderate physical activity and spending time outdoors catching the sun and that sweet Vitamin D (that we all need to keep our thoughts positive.) Growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs will also add healthy, nutritious food to your diet and help you live more sustainably.
Biking
Hire a bike and explore the vicinities. Summertime is perfect for that! Biking has many health benefits: it increases cardiovascular fitness, improves joints and muscle tone, corrects your posture (that must have suffered from all those months behind the desk), helps you burn excess fat, and decreases stress levels, which are usually soaring after the finals.
Moreover, you might like this green way to get out and about and prefer it for your commute and grocery trips when the academic year kicks off in the fall.
Camping
Exploring the great outdoors is challenging for many college students during the academic year. The weather is more likely to be wet and cold, and your schedule packed full. Summer is a time to put it right! Whenever else will you have so much time on your hands, so much enthusiasm, and so many outgoing friends to make you a company? Get the urban smog out of your lungs, unplug, enjoy the sunshine, exercise, learn more about nature, and create some magical memories!
Relaxing Hobbies for College Students
Unfortunately, stress and anxiety have become constant companions of college students. Switching off and doing anything outside of studying might be a challenge. Still, try finding time for a hobby. It's the best form of self-care that will restore your energy and calm your anxieties.
Crafts
Crafts top all lists of calming hobbies and for a reason. Keeping your fidgety hands busy with crocheting, knitting, needlework, felting, etc., is an excellent distraction from anxious thoughts. These activities offer a perfect balance of repetitiveness and creativity that keeps you absorbed and helps you to achieve a flow state – a feeling of involvement, enjoyment, energy, and intrinsic motivation. This improves emotional regulation and contributes to your overall happiness and fulfillment.
Photography
Photography is a beautifully versatile hobby. You can engage in it in a company of like-minded enthusiasts or in solitude out in the wild. There are many subjects to choose from, and for every little thing, there is an upside. Landscapes? That will motivate you to leave the house and walk. People? A camera in your hands will give you more confidence if you grapple with social anxiety and push you to build your social skills. Street photography? That promotes concentration and patience while you are waiting for the right moment to capture. The list goes on.
Music
Music is another hobby that helps you with emotional balance and takes care of the proverbial healthy mind in a healthy body. It is intellectually stimulating – a proper brain workout promoting mental alertness and memory, facilitating the connection between the hemispheres, and delaying aging processes. Even listening to music you like can reduce anxiety, improve sleep and boost your mood. Music as a hobby also looks good on applications as it makes you look a well-rounded individual.
Great Hobbies for Medical Students
Hobbies are vital for health care practitioners, as their work is very emotionally taxing. It's crucial to find the balance between your professional and human side to avoid burnout.
Running or hiking
As the old adage goes, the cobbler always wears the worst shoes. Unfortunately, this saying is often true for the medical profession. Medics toil long hours in clinics on top of a lamentable tendency to ignore their health and sacrifice sleep to everything. It takes its toll faster than you realize, and as a health care provider, you should be able to take care of yourself and lead by example.
Running and hiking are the most accessible and flexible athletic endeavors that will help you stay in shape. Either of those will take care of your muscle tone, cardiovascular system, and even mental health. I am sure you know all that already, but you might not realize how badly you need it yourself.
Foreign languages
This hobby is somewhat studious, but it can be very entertaining for those inclined to languages. It is also a rewarding one for a doctor or a nurse. Language proficiency will allow you to communicate with patients from other countries and cultures with ease – and you know how doctor-patient communication is important for diagnosis and recovery.
Moreover, it will open new possibilities for studying, practicing medicine, and volunteering, since almost all international programs require a C1 or C2-level certificate in a local language on your CV. Plus, learning foreign languages keeps your brain in shape – improves memory and concentration, and lowers the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
Traveling
This activity expands your worldview and takes care of your personal growth by exposing you to new cultures, people, and experiences. It foresters awareness and empathy, which are great qualities to have as a doctor or just as a conscious human being. There is only one downside to it – it takes time, the most valuable resource we all have.
