What’s a college student to do with 3 months of free time during the summer? The possibilities are numerous. You can either justify your decision to do absolutely nothing by claiming how hard you worked during the fall and spring semesters or you can choose to do something that will continue to foster growth and have a really good time as well.
Here’s 5 possible ways to spend your summer and come out way ahead of the game rather than not having a plan and doing nothing at all. Between taking summer classes, getting a job, getting an internship in your area of study, taking a semester abroad, going on a mission trip or traveling the world are options to not only be productive but will reap many unexpected rewards.
Summer School
Why not graduate early, or if you’re like me and are on the 6-year plan, taking summer classes is the easiest way to knock down some class hours to speed things along. One advantage of taking summer classes is keeping your mind engaged in learning, boosting your performance and readying yourself for the fall semester. Another advantage is the fact that since summer sessions are shorter than regular semesters, it is actually easier to stay focused because 1) you’re not taking a full load and 2) since classes meet every day, there’s less down time making it easier to comprehend and retain the material. Before you know it, the session is over.
Make Some Money!
If you’re not already working during the regular school year, now’s the perfect time to challenge your mind and body by doing something totally different from studying, writing papers and taking tests. You can either further your career by getting a job in your particular area of study or perhaps you’d rather find a job within a different area of interest just to “test the waters” to see if it might possibly be a good fit. Not only will you learn new skills and meet new people you’ll also learn how to interact within a corporate system, make contacts for possible future use and, something your parents will be thrilled with, earn some of your own money.
Get an Internship: Highly Recommended
Now here’s the perfect opportunity to really apply what you’re learning in college and put it to the test. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. By getting an internship with a company within your major, whether it’s a paid internship or not and whether it’s for credit or not, will undoubtedly be one of the best decisions you could ever make. You’ll not only gain real work experience but it may lead to either a full-time career in your field or may possibly set yourself up for real future employment with the company after graduation.
Study Abroad
Why not set yourself apart from the majority of college students who will never study abroad and unfortunately only see the rest of the world through the Internet or television. An international educational experience can be priceless in today’s changing global economic and business communities. While study abroad programs allow you to earn academic credit in core and major courses, there are some programs you can satisfy your language requirement by earning up to a year of your language credit in only a semester or quarter. The skills, confidence and independence acquired from an experiential learning environment and cultural immersion in a foreign country better equips today’s college students for the changing employment sector.
Travel the World
What more can be said about choosing a destination you’ve always wanted to explore and experience. Now here’s your chance. What better way to enrich your college experience and your perspective on the world than to personally experience another country’s language, culture, history and people? Whether you travel alone, with a small group of friends or join up with a diverse group of fellow college students through companies that specialize in college student travel, you can’t go wrong.
What are you doing this summer? Let me know in the comments below.
6 Comments
Great post again Jay.
Getting an internship is an awesome thing to do during the summer, it greatly enhances your future career prospects, and makes you a much more valuable applicant.
If I could recommend only one of these things, I would choose Internship. It’s so important that, when it comes time to get a job, your employer is much more likely to choose you based on your experience, than your grades.
Nice Post Jay! I’ve been trying to utilize my summer by working. Hopefully I’ll generate enough cash to take a trip and travel the world at the end of the summer.
Good choice Dan. I think I worked almost every summer of college, now that I think about it.
Appreciate this post a lot Jay. I already shared this with my sons. I particularly agree that summer can be a time for great work opportunies and learning far beyond the corners of the classrooms.
I have been studying for such a long time that when I graduated last December I decided to take the spring and summer to just relax and do nothing. I think we work so hard that we seriously need a break between life’s hectic schedule and school. Like you you suggested here, I actually used previous summers to lessen course loads and graduate early. However, this summer I just really needed a break before grad school starts.