The end of the semester is here, for all intents and purposes. Only dead week and finals week stand in the way of summer break, when everyone on campus makes a mass exodus for the next three months — or much longer if you’re graduating in May.
It’s hard to visualize summertime when all you’ve known for the last 10 months is homework, curfew and caf food. I keep getting asked what my summer plans are, and it never fails to throw me off. “Wait, why are we talking about summer? Isn’t that months away?” No, I’m reminded — it’s right around the corner.
Summer is a magical time filled with Sonic milkshakes, Friday nights at the drive-in, barbecues, driving with the windows down, avoiding old high school friends, staying up all night and sleeping in all day. In addition to those things, summer is the perfect opportunity to play catch-up on everything you didn’t have time to do during the school year.
1. Class. Possibly the worst thing you can do with your summer is spend it in a classroom. It goes against everything summer stands for. To be fair, though, it is a great option to get ahead and potentially lighten your course load for the following semesters. I’m taking six hours, and while I’m definitely not looking forward to spending precious poolside time under fluorescent lights, the fall will be a breeze thanks to all the work I probably won’t do this summer.
2. Work. The process of finding an internship or a part-time job is at least as difficult as whatever internship or job you’re looking for. If that has been your life for the last 2-3 months, I apologize. Working over the summer can also seem like torture, but the experience you gain and the money you save are well worth the time spent.
3. Relax. While this may not seem like the most “responsible” option, there is something to be said for resting. Lyndsey has said in her column that it can be beneficial to your creativity, and her word is law. I used to tell people I liked to swim, but they constantly misunderstood and thought I meant actual swimming. I have since clarified by telling them I like to float, which much more accurately describes what I do in the water. There’s really no swimming involved. There’s nothing wrong with taking an afternoon to crash your neighbor’s pool. In fact, sometimes it’s just what you need to motivate yourself.
4. Prepare for the future. This being my last summer before I graduate in December, my to-do list is a mile long. Between compiling a portfolio, scouring online job listings, building a website and fine-tuning my resume, I’ll be spending a fair amount of time procrastinating in front of a computer screen. In that regard, summer isn’t very different at all from the school year.
I look at summer as a grace period, a chance to complete unfinished business free from the stress of being at school. Take advantage of that time to do something besides binge-watch 90s TV shows — I recommend “The X-Files” — but don’t forget to do that either.
