With summer rounding the corner, it’s time to start thinking about how to spend your days. Lounging by the pool? Getting a new internship? Spending time with your friends? Or even avoiding people from your hometown? The three months off from school provide endless opportunities, but it goes by faster than you think. I have a million things to do this summer: build up my semester spending fund, hangout with old friends, get an internship. I want to do all this while going to gymnastics practice everyday. It’s not even halfway through April and I, among many others, am already overwhelmed. Summer is meant to be relaxing, right? Unfortunately, college students don’t have the luxury to lounge around everyday. Here are some tips on how to productively fill your time this summer!
jobs and budgeting
I don’t know about you, but I always end up spending a lot more money when I’m at school than I intend to. I come in with a set amount of savings and what I want to still have after the school year, but I have yet to meet my goal. You know when you ask to go out to eat and your mom says “there’s food at home!” because you don’t want to spend extra money? I felt that on a whole new level this year. Being a student-athlete, I never had the time to work an extra job. During the school year, many of us get wrapped up in clubs, homework, sports, and so much more that it’s not easy to have a job. Take the time during the summer to practice budgeting your money. Find a stable job in the summer and save, save, save!
personal project
Whether this is a physical project or simply just bettering yourself, start something new. My personal project last summer was learning how to cook. Cooking seems like such an easy task, but cooking on a budget threw me in for a loop. I knew how to cook from a recipe, but buying my own ingredients with my own money was definitely a whole different challenge. What would I actually eat? What can I get without wasting anything? I never thought that something so easy like buying groceries could turn out to be so complicated. Summer is the perfect time to find a new hobby or personal project; especially if it’s something you’ve been wanting to try and didn’t have the time to during the school year. Choosing something new to try now may help you in the future after you graduate and finding out what’s the best career for you.
traveling
When you get older, things arise that eat up your free time, like jobs, or having kids. While you have the time now, get out and see everything you want to see. If you don’t have the opportunity to go abroad during your school year, take the time to go somewhere during the summer. Money comes back, but the experiences don’t! Go to a new country and learn a new culture, try new food, and meet new people! However, sometimes this is a lot easier said than done. There are tons of different ways to get around, like taking a roadtrip with your best friends. The opportunities are endless with traveling.
an internship
Especially if you are a sophomore or junior, find an internship! Build your undergrad resume while you still have the time– your future self will thank you later. Summer is the perfect time to find out what you really want in a career. Do you want to work with other people? Have a boss or make your own business? Sit behind a desk all day or keep moving? Contact as many places as you can and find something that interests you and is similar to your major. You may find yourself loving that field, or absolutely hating it and going through a quarterlife crisis to switch your major. College is the time to make these changes and find out what you really love. Your job should not feel like a real “job,” it should be something you look forward to everyday. With the right career, you won’t feel like you’re working.
Between finding a job and budgeting, taking on a new personal project, traveling the world, and finding an internship– summer is filled with endless opportunities. It can be a time to find out what type of person you really are and what you want in the future. So, take advantage of these opportunities while you are young and live your life!