Five things to do before returning to St Andrews

1. Sleep A LOT

I don’t know about you, but I always leave St Andrews absolutely exhausted after a semester of writing essays, sitting class tests and then undergoing the horrific trauma of final exams. I spend the first few days of the holidays in bed with my laptop and Sex and the City, refusing to get up except to eat bowls of cereal and shower. Before returning to fast-paced, intellectually stimulating university life, make sure you get plenty of rest. Don’t get up until the afternoon, lounge around in tracksuit bottoms and slipper socks and don’t even think about touching the stove. That’s what doting mothers are for.

2. Find a dress for FS

Second semester is all about the fashion shows in St Andrews. Whether you’ve got a table at FS or DONT WALK, or are just attending the after show parties, it’s time to find a dress for the respective occasions. I’d say go with simple chic for FS, a plain dress jazzed up with bold jewellery and heels, and something slightly edgier for DONT WALK, perhaps biker style stiletto boots and a mesh dress. Despite the fact that all eyes will be on the beautiful, superhuman creatures strutting the catwalk during the show, there’ll be lots of camera crews around the venues capturing the shows’ guests, as well as photo booths at the after shows, so make sure you put together a look you’d be proud to show your grandchildren.

3. Prepare to freeze

January and February are always the coldest months in Fife, so make sure that you stock up on plenty of knitwear and cashmere to keep your skin from turning an unhealthy blue colour and drying up. Canada Goose jackets or jackets in a similar style, such as The Kooples’ fur hooded parka and any of Topshop’s parka jackets, are useful, teamed with woollen bobble hats and knee high boots. I’d also recommend filling your bathroom cabinet with body moisturiser and hand cream. Molton Brown’s Rhubarb & Rose Replenishing Hand Cream works wonders for cracked skin, and its summery scent of yuzu, mandarin and grapefruit will help thaw your frozen spirit.

4. Eat mummy’s food

Whenever I’m at home, my mother jumps at the chance to cook for me. She has recently discovered the magic of quinoa and cauliflower rice, and makes concoctions of the two with varying fish and meat dishes to please me. Although it can get a bit annoying being fed like a baby, I know I’ll miss it when I have to start fending for myself again. Soon it will be back to packets of cold quinoa, smoked salmon and peas (I seriously can’t cook!), so this week I’m not going to moan when Helen asks what I’d like for dinner.

5. Read for pleasure

Despite loving the language of the Ancient Greeks and their surviving literature, I really miss reading contemporary novels while at university. For the whole of last semester, a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird lay untouched on my bedside table, and I’m ashamed to say that I only finished it a couple of weeks ago. I’ve now moved onto Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, and really recommend reading books because you want to, rather than because you have to. It makes for interesting conversation at dinner parties (I’ve found that not many people want to hear about Lysias’ skills as an orator…), necessary at a university where wining and dining is preferred to dancing and screaming out Taylor Swift lyrics at a local nightclub.

Images courtesy of http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki