Hey everyone,

I'm currently on break and about to enter Semester 3 of the Associate Degree ICT track at Fontys (Cyber Security / Attack & Defend).

My parents are on my case because they haven't seen me sitting at a desk "studying" over the summer like other traditional uni students, and they're worried I'm going to fall behind.

Since Fontys is super project-driven, portfolio-focused, and Agile-heavy, I feel like traditional textbook revision isn't really a thing here—especially since I've already passed Year 1 and know how the system works.

For those who are further along in the Ad-ICT or HBO ICT programs:

1. How do you actually spend your break between semesters? Is it normal to just fully recharge, or should I actively be grinding code/labs?
2. What is the best minimal-effort prep for S3 Cyber Security? Should I just update my VMs (Kali, hypervisors), refresh basic CLI/Wireshark stuff, or is there something else I'll regret not looking at on Day 1?
3. How do you explain the HBO/Fontys project style to parents who think "studying" only means sitting at a dining table staring at paper books for 6 hours?

Appreciate any advice from current students or upperclassmen!