Now that summer break is rapidly approaching, especially for college students, you may be wondering about what you should do to make good use of this time. Today, we’ll be briefly covering a few possible options, but a good tip to keep in mind is that you don’t have to do any of this to be successful; they’re simply a few possibilities out of many, many more.
Get Some Rest
Surprise, you can actually use summer break to take a break! Given the intense pressures and seemingly never-ending workload during the semester, I am highly encouraging you to assess your wellbeing at the moment; ask yourself, what do you need the most to help you feel better–sleep, quality time with friends and family, time for personal hobbies? Many of us are likely to be exhausted at this point and it’s important to take initiative to care for yourself when you get the chance to mitigate burnout.
Unfortunately, the impossibly-high standards of the academic world today don’t really like it when there’s a gap in your resume. Admission committees like to see that you “applied” yourself at every opportunity, hence this list of some ideas, but the key here is to find a balance. Try to change the “all or nothing” narrative; just because you take on an activity for the summer doesn’t mean self-care and wellness go down the drain. Try to integrate small healthy habits and realize that realistically speaking, you still have more freedom when it comes to time during summer vacation.
Summer School
This one isn’t a surprise at all, but many students prefer to utilize their summer break as a chance to take an extra class or two. Whether you’re a high school or college student, this may help you get ahead of your peers and knock out a prerequisite or general education class. My advice is to not take an extremely challenging or knowledge/skill-heavy course during the summer’s condensed schedule as there is a lack of time to truly process what you’re learning. By rushing to get a foundational class over with, you’re risking the potential of constantly feeling lost in future classes, many of which I guarantee are built upon these very fundamental topics previously covered.
Instead, opt for something you think you’ll be able to handle relatively well. Keep in mind that there is a drastic difference in the pacing and material of a summer session compared to an entire semester or year, and you don’t want to be ruining your GPA over something that could’ve been avoided. If you really must squeeze in a difficult class, brace yourself to push through the weeks and clear out other parts of your schedule as much as possible.
Major takeaway: be reasonable and take all factors into consideration–if you choose to do summer school, commit to it.
Summer Program
Summer programs are similar to summer school in that they contain some aspect of learning but often have other features such as taking place at collegiate institutions, containing events and gatherings, and focusing on specific career fields. If you’re interested, simply visit the websites of any university and you’ll likely find some program they offer during the summer. Most, if not all programs require an application that includes some kind of supplemental essay as well as letters of recommendation, so be mindful of any deadlines. Some people may be confused as to whether or not these programs actually make a difference on your college application or resume. My advice is that they’re quite similar to any other extracurricular activity in terms of “prestige” unless you’re applying to that specific university or the program itself is very competitive. Otherwise, many admission committees view it as another activity that helped to fill up a summer break. Another thing to keep in mind is that these programs are often long and very costly, so think carefully about the pros vs cons before making a final decision.
Volunteer and Internship Experiences
If school isn’t something that particularly interests you, maybe you can look into some kind of volunteer or internship opportunity. These are valuable experiences that can provide you with insight you may write about on future applications or incorporate into your resume to demonstrate real-life exposure and skills. In fact, many times these experiences are preferred over simply taking another class. Your academic abilities are often already seen through your transcript, test scores, etc; volunteering and internships apply your skills in the real-world setting in a way traditional schooling itself cannot. The caveat is that these are often harder to find as well as land a position, so be proactive and remember that there are plenty of other options if this doesn’t work out.
Be realistic
I’ll say it again: be realistic about what you can and cannot handle in the time span of summer break. People often say to think about it being a marathon rather than a race; summer vacation can be helpful and quite enjoyable if planned correctly, but it can also easily become even more overwhelming than usual. Consider all the options you have to make the best choice for you, and hopefully you’ll return to school in the fall well-rested and ready for another year.
We hope you enjoyed this article. For more content on how to find your academic success, check out some of our articles here on StarryScholar. If you have any questions/comments, feel free to leave them in our “Community Discussion” tab, or email us at @[email protected]! Remember, you got this ☆
Surprise, you can actually use summer break to take a break! Given the intense pressures and seemingly never-ending workload during the semester, I am highly encouraging you to assess your wellbeing at the moment; ask yourself, what do you need the most to help you feel better–sleep, quality time with friends and family, time for personal hobbies? Many of us are likely to be exhausted at this point and it’s important to take initiative to care for yourself when you get the chance to mitigate burnout.
Unfortunately, the impossibly-high standards of the academic world today don’t really like it when there’s a gap in your resume. Admission committees like to see that you “applied” yourself at every opportunity, hence this list of some ideas, but the key here is to find a balance. Try to change the “all or nothing” narrative; just because you take on an activity for the summer doesn’t mean self-care and wellness go down the drain. Try to integrate small healthy habits and realize that realistically speaking, you still have more freedom when it comes to time during summer vacation.
Summer School
This one isn’t a surprise at all, but many students prefer to utilize their summer break as a chance to take an extra class or two. Whether you’re a high school or college student, this may help you get ahead of your peers and knock out a prerequisite or general education class. My advice is to not take an extremely challenging or knowledge/skill-heavy course during the summer’s condensed schedule as there is a lack of time to truly process what you’re learning. By rushing to get a foundational class over with, you’re risking the potential of constantly feeling lost in future classes, many of which I guarantee are built upon these very fundamental topics previously covered.
Instead, opt for something you think you’ll be able to handle relatively well. Keep in mind that there is a drastic difference in the pacing and material of a summer session compared to an entire semester or year, and you don’t want to be ruining your GPA over something that could’ve been avoided. If you really must squeeze in a difficult class, brace yourself to push through the weeks and clear out other parts of your schedule as much as possible.
Major takeaway: be reasonable and take all factors into consideration–if you choose to do summer school, commit to it.
Summer Program
Summer programs are similar to summer school in that they contain some aspect of learning but often have other features such as taking place at collegiate institutions, containing events and gatherings, and focusing on specific career fields. If you’re interested, simply visit the websites of any university and you’ll likely find some program they offer during the summer. Most, if not all programs require an application that includes some kind of supplemental essay as well as letters of recommendation, so be mindful of any deadlines. Some people may be confused as to whether or not these programs actually make a difference on your college application or resume. My advice is that they’re quite similar to any other extracurricular activity in terms of “prestige” unless you’re applying to that specific university or the program itself is very competitive. Otherwise, many admission committees view it as another activity that helped to fill up a summer break. Another thing to keep in mind is that these programs are often long and very costly, so think carefully about the pros vs cons before making a final decision.
Volunteer and Internship Experiences
If school isn’t something that particularly interests you, maybe you can look into some kind of volunteer or internship opportunity. These are valuable experiences that can provide you with insight you may write about on future applications or incorporate into your resume to demonstrate real-life exposure and skills. In fact, many times these experiences are preferred over simply taking another class. Your academic abilities are often already seen through your transcript, test scores, etc; volunteering and internships apply your skills in the real-world setting in a way traditional schooling itself cannot. The caveat is that these are often harder to find as well as land a position, so be proactive and remember that there are plenty of other options if this doesn’t work out.
Be realistic
I’ll say it again: be realistic about what you can and cannot handle in the time span of summer break. People often say to think about it being a marathon rather than a race; summer vacation can be helpful and quite enjoyable if planned correctly, but it can also easily become even more overwhelming than usual. Consider all the options you have to make the best choice for you, and hopefully you’ll return to school in the fall well-rested and ready for another year.
We hope you enjoyed this article. For more content on how to find your academic success, check out some of our articles here on StarryScholar. If you have any questions/comments, feel free to leave them in our “Community Discussion” tab, or email us at @[email protected]! Remember, you got this ☆