I’m an adventurer who values school a lot (I’m Asian and I totally fit the stereotype of the classic Asian who studies all day every day). I had amazing plans this summer until I learned that I would have to take summer classes and my hopes of having the best time of my life were scattered. It got even worse when I realized that the weekend of the Veld Music Festival happens to be in the same week as my summer semester’s finals week. I was devastated. I was supposed to celebrate my first year of surviving university this summer. Not happening.
I was in a (false) dilemma; should I take the summer off or should I risk living a nightmare from being in school? This was such a rhetorical question. Everybody who knows me knows that it isn’t a question to ask because I would choose school 100 per cent (by personal choice and fear to be disowned by my parents because school should always be priority #1). Sacrificing a summer for the possibility of having a brighter future is worth it. Then I realized that I didn’t have to have the worst summer of my life, it is possible to balance school and fun this summer. So I listed a few things to help anyone in the same miserable situation as me to make the best of your summer semesters (because yes, I have two).
1. Choose your schedule wisely
Would you rather go to school twice and be there all day or go every day but spend very little time in class? Most people prefer the first option to get it over with and have the rest of the week to plan their summer activities. Personally, I chose the second option because I know myself and there is no way I will actually do school work on the days where I am not at school.
2. Spend at least 60 minutes under the sun every day
Concordia is the heart of downtown Montreal. Take advantage of the school’s location to explore the city. There is a lot of street art worth admiring such as graffiti (to photograph for your Instagram) in Mount-Royal and Mile-End. Montreal organizes festivals every week that are free. Our city is blessed with beautiful parks that you can turn into a picnic/study spot as well. Rent a Bixi. You’ll be able to explore and exercise at the same time.
3. Indie Coffee Passport
The Indie coffee passport is a beautiful concept that allows you to discover cute local coffee shops. All you have to do is buy the passport for $30 plus tax and you have access to a drink from 30 participanting coffee shops. At each cafe, you can choose from their list of five drinks. Every time you get your coffee, your passport gets stamped. Instead of studying at the library which can get old very quickly (to be honest, it makes me grumpy to be in the library), you can enjoy good quality coffee and maybe have a productive studying session.
4. Be free on the weekend to channel your inner party animal
In order to enjoy summer to the fullest with you friends, make sure you have your weekend nights off. It will be the only nights in the week where you can let loose and feel the summer vibes. Forget that you have school on Monday (and Tuesday, and Wednesday, and Thursday). Let your party animal out of their cage.