Make Summer Work for You
As Spring term comes to a close another term begins to open: Summer. What will you do with your summer? Well if you aren’t sure, check out these options for some productive ideas.
Take classes
It’s never a bad idea to get ahead. Taking a few classes over the summer can put you closer to graduation. On top of that, typically summer term is only about nine weeks long, so, don’t worry that summer classes will dry up your break – you’ll still have plenty of time to hang out after your classes are wrapped up.
Study abroad
What better way to spend your summer than traveling the world and getting college credit for it? Many colleges offer several study abroad programs for every academic term, and you earn credit hours for the study abroad course. You can travel to places like South Africa, England, Spain, Thailand, France, Germany and many more. By participating, you gain knowledge from the course and from the trip itself. Being exposed to another culture other than your own can be a very rewarding experience.
“I believe studying abroad is incredibly rewarding because it allows you to gain a better perspective of the world by becoming immersed in the culture.” – Chris Duggan, Sophmore, St. Petersburg College
Get a full-time job
The summer is the perfect time to get a seasonal job. Getting a full-time job during the summer is a great way to be productive and save up some cash for the upcoming semesters. If it’s at all possible, getting a job in your desired career field would be a great resume-builder. For example, if you’re an education major, you might find work as a summer camp counselor. You’d be earning money and still working towards your future.
Participate in an internship
Another way to use the summer to gain experience within the field of your interest )and sometimes even get paid for it) is with an internship. Many institutions have a bulletin board with job and internship postings. Summer is one of the best times to get some real world experience under your belt.
Volunteer
Volunteering within your community can be very rewarding. Volunteering during the summer allows students to break up their time by being civically engaged. What may seem like a small contribution to your surrounding community can really make a large impact. Not only that, but you can offer your volunteer services to places that you are interested in, like the humane society, hospice or food shelters.
Even if you sign up for classes, volunteer hours, a job or an internship, there will still be plenty of hours for fun and rejuvenation before you dive into the fall semester. So make the summer work for you!