School’s out, and it’s that time of the year again. You know, that time where college students suddenly find themselves with nothing to do after spending weeks cramming for finals. As relaxing as not doing anything can be, it usually gets pretty boring after awhile, so instead of doing nothing, do something. Here are 6 ideas to help you make the most of your summer vacation.
Make some money.
I strongly believe that every college student should make an effort to get a summer job or internship. Why? Because if you don’t, the kid who sells lemonade at the corner of your street on hot summer days will officially have had a more productive summer than you did. Need some ideas? Check out these tips on how to make money for college students.
Do something you’ve never done before.
You may not realize it yet, but you have a running list of things to do before you die. Everyone does. We also have a limited amount of time to check everything off. While it probably isn’t feasible to make it through your entire list this summer (if it is, you need a better list), try to do at least a couple of the things on your list. Go skydiving, train for a marathon, hike up a mountain, drive across the United States, etc.
Give back.
Another great way to make your summer productive is by helping others. While you may not have the time or flexibility to volunteer during the school year, the summer is great because your schedule is probably wide open. Find something that matches your interests. It could be anything from cleaning a local park to mentoring at-risk children to coaching a sports team.
Pick up a new hobby.
A lot of people complain about hobbies sucking up all of their spare time. Perfect. Not only will you keep yourself busy, you’ll have something new to impress your friends with when you go back to school (depending on the hobby that you choose). If you still have spare time after picking up a new hobby, try pick up another one.
Rediscover an old pastime.
If you’re like a dog and don’t like new tricks, then rediscover some of your old ones. A lot of our hobbies tend to go by the wayside as we grow older, but that doesn’t mean they’re forgotten. It’s time to dust off those rollerblades and hit the park. Of course, you might want to do a test run in your driveway in case you did somehow manage to forget.
Fall in love.
Ah, summer love. Who wouldn’t want some of that? What’s there to say about something as unpredictable as love? All I can think of is that the more active you are (perhaps doing the other five things on this list), the greater your chances of this coming true.
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Making money or getting job experience is key and very important for obvious reasons. the others are more side things which I believe is very important. I also would add to be active on that list. No better time to work on health and good diet than the summer time.
Is it me, or should it be mandatory to TP (toilet paper) an old friends house when you come back home from college every summer. I do this all the time and it is WAY funnier when you’re supposedly too old, than it was when you were in high school and it was expected.
I would add TPing houses to this list, but otherwise, I completely agree with everything you said.
Great post!
Good list!
I used to get two jobs during the summers inbetween school semesters. One would be an 8-5 type of job in marketing/tourism/management – type roles. The other would always be waitressing b/c that’s where I pulled in the big bucks.
I sacraficed this way becuase I wanted the money and the experience that would take me further in school.
So I worked mon-friday 8-5
thursday – saturday 6 – 1 or 2 am
Thursday and Friday were hard, and Sunday’s were great!
I will work a lot this summer, and besides that I’m going to spend time with friends who I won’t see that much next year, I think my summer is going to be great!
I worked at an amusement park one summer after enjoying college and I fell in love..all my accident. I was actually aiming not to date for the summer.
we’re still together.
Funny how things seem to work out like that.
“A lot of people complain about hobbies sucking up all of their spare time. Perfect.”
That is a great line!
I think the ‘Do something you haven’t done before’ should include growth experiences that may not necessarily be as fun as climbing a mountain or running a tri, but have life-long benefits. I joined Toastmasters just before summer started, and this is a big focus of mine over the summer months.
One thing to keep in mind here as you finish up your work this summer is that many other law students spend their summers doing this exact same thing. The fact that you have “internship” or “clerkship” on your resume is not that rare.