5 Great Hobbies For College Students

By Elana Goodwin on July 30, 2014

This article is brought to you by CORT, a subsidiary of Berkshire-Hathaway and the world’s largest furniture rental and relocation services company. To learn more about how we can help college students like you, click here.

Getting up, going to class, coming home, and doing homework can get to be repetitive and boring.

Besides joining clubs and participating in other campus activities, hobbies are a great way to do something just for fun either by yourself or with a friend.

Here are some easy-to-adopt and great hobbies for college students.

Photo Credit: sociallyrelevant.us

1. Blogging/Writing. You probably do a lot of writing between different essays and assignments for your various classes and think that writing for fun on your own time is the last thing you want to do.

But blogging has become super popular over the last several years and is a great way to share your thoughts with the world on everything from politics to fashion to the TV show you’ve been binge-watching.

Creating a blog is easy and free through websites like WordPress and Blogger (the free blogging tool from Google) and there’s no pressure as far as how often you post and on what subject matters. Or, you can start writing for a pre-existing blog, like Uloop!

You can share your blog with friends, family, your Twitter followers, etc., or just use it as a sort of online creative writing platform.

If blogging doesn’t seem like your thing, do some kind of other writing just to get your thoughts out on paper. You can even do some writing with a friend, either collaborating on a piece or just meeting for coffee and writing separately together.

Photo Credit: Eric LaCour

2. Walking/Running/Jogging. No matter your fitness level, engaging in a physical activity like walking, running, or jogging can help clear your mind and release endorphins, which is good for your health.

After getting some exercise, many get what’s called a “runner’s high” which puts you in a good mood and helps you feel re-energized.

If you don’t want to hit your school’s gym because it’s too far, crowded, etc., try using the great outdoors as your venue of choice. Jogging outside can also help you better learn your campus and explore your college’s surroundings.

You can bring along music if you prefer to run by yourself or gab with a friend while the two of you jog. Just remember to always stay safe and aware while you’re out exercising, and be smart about what time of day or night you decide to go, especially if you’re alone.

Photo Credit: jamorama.com

3. Playing an Instrument. Lots of college kids play various musical instruments and bring them to campus. If you don’t already play, learning how can be a great hobby as you’re using different parts of your brain and learning something cool, too.

Before you buy an instrument, you can ask a fellow student to give you some more information about it or ask if they can give you an introductory lesson using theirs.

Many instruments can be bought secondhand, either from other students selling theirs or from websites like Craigslist. Once you’ve got whatever instrument you’ve decided to learn, you can look for another student who plays and ask them to give you some cheap beginner lessons.

Another viable option for learning how to play the instrument is to hit YouTube as many users upload beginner lessons to different musical tools.

Photo Credit: interurbanarthouse.org

4. Knitting. Knitting isn’t the cheapest hobby because you have to buy the needles and continuously buy yarn. Since the purpose is to make something, you’ll use up most if not all of the yarn you have, and you’ll need to buy more to start making something else.

But knitting can be a relaxing way to keep your hands busy while your brain takes some time off. Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can pretty much knit without engaging your mind. That means you can knit while watching something on your laptop, listening to an audiobook, etc.

There was even a girl in one of my English classes who got permission from the professor to knit during the class. Obviously, that won’t always (or usually) be the case, but knitting can be a great hobby for college students — plus you can even learn to knit your own college apparel like hats or scarves in your university’s colors or with the schools’ initials.

Photo Credit: neuromania.com

5. Cooking or Baking. These are probably the most beneficial hobbies to have, especially if you live off-campus in your own house or apartment.

With so many recipes out there and numerous cooking shows on TV, adopting cooking or baking as a hobby can yield delicious results. Because you have to eat — and to do that, sometimes you’re going to have to cook — making it into something you enjoy and that lets you unwind transforms what may have been a chore into something more fun and pleasurable.

Basically, having a hobby is really important. According to Temple University’s School of Medicine neurology department chairman Dr. S Ausim Azizi:

“When people do things that make them feel good, like a hobby, it activates an area of the brain … that controls how we feel about life. Activities you enjoy also stimulate the brain’s septal zone — its “feel good” area — and that makes you feel happy.”

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