7 things to do while waiting for your wifi to be connected

The transition period between the freedoms of summer to the beginning of another university year is hard enough. Home comforts, freedom and a diary free from coursework is exchanged for an overpriced flat, an empty fridge and (worst of all) a life without wifi.

Internet-hungry students can get on the phone to major broadband providers straight away, but with most companies asking customers to wait for up to two weeks for an installation, the transition between summer and another year of study can be a hard one to survive.

Luckily for the internet-addicted few, here are a few things to do which will waste the time quicker than watching celebrities pour water on themselves.

Read a book

Bear with me on this one. It may seem like an easy get-out, but catching up on a bit of reading can seriously waste a couple of days. Maybe get a head start on uni work or, if you don’t want to be "that guy" lose yourself in a compelling novel.

Ernest Hemmingway once said “there Is no friend as loyal as a book” so snuggle down in that damp student apartment and escape with your new best friend.

Go for a pint

For students with a smaller attention span and a longer list of friends, find your local pub. Moving to a new area can be a tough, confusing time - so settle yourself in with your neighborly drunkards.

You don’t have anything better to do than read back at home and your probably going to end up there anyway. In Shaun of the Dead style, chug down a few pints and wait until your internet drought blows over.

Customize your room

Yes it may only be eight square feet, and yes it may already have a poster on the wall, but why not take the time without distraction to decorate? That drab and depressing look didn’t come on the inventory so scrap it for a fresh, personalized feel. This may only take a couple of hours but it will certainly waste some time and may even spark some enjoyment into the lifeless soul of a wifi abuser.

Walk

For those of you that prefer not to mix alcohol and moving in, there is an alternative way to search the new environment. Go on a walk, or even a jog. This can be the best way to learn about local stores and services that are within reach of your new digs. Find out where the nearest dry cleaners is or top up on the fresh air you wont be getting once the internet is installed. Heaven won't have wifi, so its best to stay healthy.

Buy some DVDs

Many may be shocked but DVDs are still sold and that little hole in the side of laptops usually takes them. Head down to the nearest supermarket or electrical store and pick up some classics from the £1 basket. Fill the mornings with 80s rom-coms and your afternoons with action flicks riddled with aging actors. Before you know it you will be back online to watch movies without paying for them all over again.

Go to the library

The obvious choice surely? That wonderful place every student heads to for unforgettable nights of coursework and hard work until the early hours of the morning. With a constant stream of wireless Internet the library is the perfect place for wifi-deprived students to get their fix. Of course this may mean a lengthy commute and bumping into fellow students you would rather avoid. A risky but sensible solution to an unhealthy addiction to online activity.

Run back to your parents

If all the above comes nothing close to the joys of logging on at home, do exactly that: go back to your parents' house where you can bask in the sterile light coming from your laptop. Waiting out in the sanctuary of wifi your parents have funded; students can walk back into their flat when it's all connected – to find a household of active, reading flatmates who are always drunk and have a very impressive DVD collection.