By Khalem Caldwell

For college students, most of us believe freedom is everything. A majority of college students have lived under their parents’ roof, obeying their rules, and when disobeyed a punishment will follow. Many of us go off to college and are bombarded with freedom. No parents, and you make your own choices. However, in 2020, college students received a new parent that sent us all home. Now that COVID-19 has grounded us, here are four things college students can do while locked away at home.

NUMBER #1: Resistance Band Workouts 

Universities and colleges offer students with free access to gyms, which are fully equipped with dumbbells, plates, bars, and other exercise equipment. Students, and especially student athletes are now deprived of their workout opportunities. However, resistance band workouts provide a great temporary alternative to the gym. Resistance band workouts are often used for strength training and work up a good sweat. If you don’t already own one, resistance bands can be purchased online for as low as $10. Once you have your resistance band, go to youtube and search for a good resistance band workout. After that, get to work!

NUMBER #2: Meditate/Morning Yoga

Higher education students are often busy with attending class, playing sports, working jobs, and studying. Quarantine, in an optimistic view, has provided us with a much needed break. While running around and trying to get everything done, our mental health is neglected and put on the back burner. When waking up in the morning, take 20 minutes to meditate, perform yoga and focus on breathing. Engaging our minds early in the morning, waking up our bodies, and setting an agenda for the day, gives us an advantage. We often feel better, and tackle the day with more energy. This 20 minutes in the morning can make a huge difference for many of us and can carry on into next school semester. 

NUMBER #3: Financial/Investing

Unless taught to us by our parents, the education system fails to provide us with adequate knowledge on money, investing, and other fundamental tools to be successful. Many of us need to gain much needed knowledge on how investing works. An easy way to do this is researching how to save your money. Knowing how much you have to save for emergencies, expenses, etc, is essential. Also, research how the stock market works. Getting into the stock market is a gateway to learning about how you can plan for a successful financial future.

NUMBER #4: Cooking

Before entering college, students probably took a home cooked meal for guaranteed. Even when in college it’s still not that bad. A cafeteria or dining hall provides meals which are prepared for us. Fortunately, our eating options have been easy for us. However, what happens when we aren’t with our parents, or life after college. Learning how to cook, what to cook, and what to buy is going to be a challenge for many when we run out of those eating options. Starting now allows us time to ease into cooking, and having our parents as chefs makes it easier for us. Also cooking is always a nice flex!