Throughout your college career, it’s very likely that you’ll have several days where classes are cancelled. If you’re in the Northwest, Midwest, or Northeast, this will probably be caused by snow or ice. If you’re in other parts of the country, it could be because of rains or other environmental events. Some schools will cancel classes for other reasons as well. But regardless of the reason, you now have a full day without any class! What are you going go to do?

One of the most common things that you will find students doing on snow days is sleeping in. You don’t have to be in class at eight in the morning—go back to bed! Catch up on some sleep, and you’ll feel a lot better in the coming days. These are good days to take naps as well—you won’t have to worry about not getting up for your afternoon class, so you can take an hour or two out of your day and get some rest.

If your classes were cancelled because of snow, you probably shouldn’t be driving anywhere (at least until later in the afternoon). Fortunately, there are several activities that you can do on-campus or near your off-campus housing. Going sledding is a great way to spend an afternoon, especially if you got dumped on with a foot or two of snow. If you have a skating rink nearby, you can lace up some skates and get out there as well (as long as the snow has been cleared off). Snowball fights will make you feel like you’re in elementary school again and are great for getting exercise (and getting back at some of your friends for the money they took from you playing cards). Once you’ve spent some time outside and taken a hot shower, head for the local coffee shop. It will probably be pretty busy, but a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate rarely tastes better than when the entire world is covered in snow.

Snow days are also good occasions for spending the entire day inside under a blanket, where it’s warm and dry. Spending an afternoon playing board games is a fun way to recoup some energy and hang out with your friends. Sitting on the couch and reading a book (not a textbook—an actual outside-of-class book) is a good way to relax as well.

As much as you don’t want to, you should probably take advantage of snow days to get a little bit of studying done. It’s easy to get behind on your reading or studies, and having a full day off of class can be just what you need to get caught up again. If you’re very motivated, you could even use the day to get a little ahead in some of your classes so that you have some slack when finals come around.

Whatever you decide to do on snow days, whether it’s sleeping, sledding, or studying, make sure that you have fun! Snow days don’t come around all that often, so take advantage of them while you can.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or funny stories you'd like me to share about college or the blog, email me at stu@stuvu.com