Graduating high school is bitter-sweet, and as soon as you walk across that stage one chapter of your life comes to a close and the next begins. The summer before college is a valuable 3 months that gives you a chance to prepare for the adventure of leaving home. It’s important to realize that there’s work to be done during that vital summer, but it should also be a sentimental and fun time that sends you to college with the best of your hometown in mind. That being said, here are 10 things to do the summer before college;
1. Spend time with your parents:
Believe it or not you’re going to miss your parents just as much or more than they’ll miss you. You’ll be so busy in college that maybe it won’t be apparent at first, but the moment you’re overwhelmed with laundry or sick for the first time without chicken noodle soup and medicine being brought to you on the couch you’ll realize that parents are actually pretty cool. Take the last few months you have of living with them and embrace your mom’s over protectiveness and your dad’s ultimate dad jokes; trust me, you’ll miss them.Â
2. Make appointments with all of your doctors:
Maybe a less exciting way to spend a summer afternoon, but it’s vital. Double check with your future college for required vaccinations and make sure you’re up to date with a physical, teeth cleaning, prescriptions and even a haircut. Once you get to school you’ll be navigating so many new things and the last thing you’ll want to do is have to find a doctor to give you a shot or go to a dentist to have a cavity filled. Taking care of all these things allows you to go to school fully prepared to take on the germ infested dorms and avoid the freshman plague.
3. Clean up your social media:
As soon as you’re in college anyone you meet could become a job connection. Professors, sorority sisters, dorm friends; these are all people who will see your social media accounts as you develop through your 4 years of college, and you never know who could break a job opportunity for you because your social media is provocative. Just make sure you would be okay with your grandma seeing your instagram or Facebook posts, and you’ll be good for the future.Â
4. Go on a road trip with your best friends:
This is it. You and your friends have done the unthinkable and survived 4 years of high school, and now you’re all going off to different schools and it can be terrifying. Take the summer to celebrate your friends and appreciate the time you have together. The best way to do this; take a road trip to anywhere and experience each other’s quirks, laughs and advice for a little while longer. They’re the people who will be there for you anytime you need them even if you’re on opposite sides of the country so don’t worry about losing their friendship, but just take time to appreciate it more.Â
5. Take a self-defense class:
No matter how old you are or where you live a self-defense class is an added security to your safety. There’s so many new faces in college and you may not always know who to trust so take matters into your own hands by being able to kick some serious booty. It will help you feel more comfortable on campus and let your mom sleep a little better.Â
6. Take too many pictures:
Whether it’s during your spontaneous road trip or just laying around with face masks on; pictures are pieces of home that you get to take to college with you. You’ll get to decorate your dorm with the photos of friends and families and, take comfort knowing that they’re just a phone call away.Â
7. Eat all the home cooked meals you can:
Dorm food is great for about 2 months. Once you go home for your first break and are reconnected with your mom’s home cooking it’ll really sink in how limited your options at school are. Enjoy home cooked meals as much as you can during the summer before, and, once you get to school, watch out for the freshman 15!Â
8. Clean out your closet:
College is the time when you get to be the person you’ve always wanted to be. You get to experience more professional opportunities and you need clothes that allow you to dress for the job you want. Go through your closet in those last few months at home and give away those outfits that you haven’t worn since sophomore year that really don’t express who you are. Then take a shopping trip and replenish your closet with a new style for the new school year. Definitely don’t forget the leggings and oversized sweatshirts though, those will always have their place in a wardrobe.Â
9. Rethink your relationships:
It’s no secret that when you aren’t at the same school, 7 periods a day with all of your high school friends you won’t talk as often, and many of those relationships may not survive college. Evaluate the people who are important to you and your life. It’s important to not burn any bridges but also don’t bend every which way for a fair weathered friend. Rethink your relationships during the summer before and as you leave for school make effort to stay connected with the people who most deserve it.Â
10. Relax and enjoy home:
You graduated high school and got into your dream school. Even though your summer may have a checklist don’t forget to relax and just enjoy the time you have left at home. Everything will get done with time and the summer will go faster than you could ever imagine. So, spend time with your family and friends, pets, at your favorite places around your hometown, and be a little sentimental for the things that are about to change.