5 Productive Things To Do With a Free Summer

School will soon be out of session. A lot of people you know may have already figured out plans of what they plan to do over the summer. If an internship didn’t come along your way, there are still plenty of things to keep yourself entertained and to have a productive summer. Here are 5 suggestions to make the most of your “free” summer:

 

There are many events to do and places to see that either your hometown, or collegiate city, has to offer. During the academic school year, there probably wasn’t enough time to truly explore the hidden gems of your city. Take this opportunity to investigate, checking out different cafes and restaurants, museums and art galleries, and nontraditional things. Pretend you’re a tourist visiting your city for the first time and come up with an itinerary. There are lots of “Top Ten Attractions in (Fill in Your City Here)” but there’s no need to stop at ten. Or instead, wander around aimlessly and stop at places that peak your interest. By the time school starts up again, you’ll have lots of recommendations and an immense amount of experiences and stories to tell. 

 

If staying in a city you’re vaguely familiar with doesn’t appeal to you, you might want to look into traveling. Traveling provides the chance to try new things, meet new people, and gain new perspectives. With so many countries, or even states for that matter, options will never be restricted. Although traveling can often times be expensive, it doesn’t have to be. It’s important to budget and know how much you can afford to spend. Whether that means you can go to Brazil for the World Cup or take a road trip from New York to New Orleans, you’ll gather a lot of memories that you can’t really put a price on. 

 

While entering a classroom atmosphere might not sound appealing after waiting weeks for the time when that was no longer the case, it’s important to keep them as an option. Summer classes are a great way to minimize your workload during the school year and give you more leeway to take electives. Additionally, summer classes tend to be more easygoing in terms of grading, which is why students often choose to take their hardest classes over the summer. Summer classes are also a great way to meet with new students and staff that you can network with and develop relations with into the school year. If you’re school offers summer abroad programs, or accepts credit from an external study abroad program, you’ll be able to combine the benefits of taking a class and traveling. Studying abroad over the summer is also a great option to consider if you’re unable to go for an entire semester abroad during the school year.

 

Though an internship might not have panned out, there are still lots of benefits in getting a summer job. Working over the summer is a great way to save up money for the school year to spend on food, extracurricular commitments, loans, and countless other things. Toward the end of the academic school year, a lot of on-campus jobs start to have an increase in available positions. This is the perfect opportunity to secure a job for the upcoming school year and network with staff and faculty. Even working somewhere off-campus at your local mall or restaurant can give you skills, like customer service, that might be desired by future potential employers. If anything, they can write you letters of recommendation.

 

With a busy life filled with classes, jobs, and extracurricular activities, it’s hard to find time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering don’t start and end with the person or people you’re helping. Volunteering helps you make new friends and contacts while increasing your social and relationship skills. Are you interested in working with children? Maybe a daycare or camp will suit your needs. The sick? Hospitals are often in need of volunteers. Though this might not be an internship per say, volunteering offers a lot of opportunities to have the same types of benefits, including expanding your network. Volunteering can also have positive effects on your mental or physical wellbeing. It provides a boost in self-esteem, self-confidence, and life satisfaction. Volunteering naturally brings a sense of accomplishment, which may lead you to feel better about yourself. The better you feel about yourself, the higher the chance you’ll have a positive outlook on your future goals and life in general. If you choose to volunteer in something that requires some type of physicality, a 5K walk or run for example, you’ll be able to keep fit inaddition to helping someone in need. With so many options available, you’ll be hard-pressed not to find some way of giving back that’s enjoyable.

 

Whatever you decide to do over the summer, make sure it’s productive. You don’t want to come into the new school year with nothing to show for yourself. It’s never too early or late in the school year to start planning for summer, so why not start today?