10 Ways for College Students to Maximize Their Summer Break
You just saw "Spider-man: Far from Home", and you wished that you could have a summer like Peter Parker. Staring at the Tower Bridge, riding the gondola in Venice, and exploring Prague, all of which would make a compelling Young-adult story. Rick Riordan had written it a number of times, but not about a geeky graduate student who embarked on an outrageous road trip with a mysterious woman he just met on a convenient store. She turned out to be THE one for him, prompting you to wonder why there wasn't such a thing in real life. It would happen if you go out of your room often. Then again, it wasn't possible. The coursework turned out to be more demanding than you thought, and you wanted to make up for it next term. This should be the right time to maximize your summer break.
The thought of burying yourself in books this season would make you cringe, if not think about a weekend getaway. If you've been playing catch up during the previous term, you must resolve to improve your paper writing skills this summer. You might have the ability and the passion, but you could be lacking in something. The (warm) season is a few months long, which should give you all the time. It’s also a one-time thing, which should give you a good reason to plan your next holiday next year.
Enriching Activities for Inspiration
Get out, and go places. One way of improving your paper writing skills is to find new experiences. These moments could be your source of your perspectives when you write an essay on Jack Kerouac. You don't have to find a seedy place and experience the lowdown, and there's no need to try to be Robert Langdon during your visit to the Big Apple (or if you're a New Yorker yourself). Try to be observant of your surrounding, and don't be afraid to smile at strangers. And don't think too much about your mission. You earned your well-deserved break.
Read more novels. The heat should give you a good excuse to spend more time in your air-conditioned room. You can indulge in your favorite genre, if not explore other genres. You can also prepare for the upcoming term, where you can read some titles in advance. You may have second thoughts, but think of the free time. You can attend more parties. On the other hand, your wiser self would prompt you to spend more time in unwinding. You would need it during the next Christmas or spring semester.
Watch a movie. You've studied Cinema and Modernism, which exposed you to black-and-white motion pictures with English subtitles. You know why Hollywood keeps on remaking and rebooting the old movies, but you have a different case. You have seen the modules that you would enroll next term. You have browsed through the reading list. You're not in the mood to read some titles, but you won't mind a celluloid adaptation of some of these novels. You could look for a copy of "Ulysses", which was released in 1967.
Plan your budget for the upcoming term. It may be the first thing to do after calling your parents whenever you ran short of money. You did it more than once.
Send an email to your professors. Summer is the best time to build friendships with your professors. You asked questions on implied meanings in prose last year, so a question on the best holiday destinations would be a welcome change. You should skip Henry James's depiction of Old-World Europe.
Sweat it out. There are times that it would be better to get out than staying in your room all day. Sulking wouldn't do you good.
Review your notes. This activity would enable you to find ways on improving your concentration during lecture hours. You could seek an end to your procrastination as well. It's hard to let go of old habits especially if other students do it. You must get off the bandwagon if you want to change for the better.
Devote your time in developing collaborative skills. You can be part of a theater production, also join a community project. The latter could be an opportunity in volunteering, which should make a great addition to your resume. Keep in mind that the skills that you would learn could help you in managing the coursework next term. This should be a good time to expand your network of acquaintances and friends, some of whom might collaborate with you later. Call it a good investment.
Review and edit your social media channels. Recruiters and employers would check your online presence, so make sure that your posts and pictures would prompt them to take you seriously. Job hunting is more than resume writing and job interviews. You could delete posts and picture that won't make you look good to people who hardly know you.
Make a splash Summer would be incomplete without a drenched moment with family or friends. If you can't go to the beach, plan a camping (with family or friends). The lake beckons, and weekend would be good enough.
Go on a Spontaneous Adventure
If traveling is an option, make sure that you won't end up on the wrong side. It’s not an opportunity in solving a mystery, but plan your budget ahead. This option could be the road less traveled, and it would be the places that you haven't been frequented. New York would be a field day, but a small community wouldn't be less interesting. Don't imagine too much.
