What should I do this summer?

Summer is a great time to relax and unwind from the hectic schedule of homework, studying and the general day to day expectations of school. But your summer shouldn’t just be wasted away into day after day of doing “nothing.” The summer is a perfect time to explore your passions, investigate your interests and indulge in fun activities that you might not have time for during the regular school year. Now that you are a few weeks into break, I wanted to encourage you to start thinking about what you will do this summer to make sure that you have a productive summer and don’t spend the entire break being bored or wasting it away scrolling through social media.

So, what are some ideas of how you can spend your summer? 

Summer vacation is a great time to expand your resume and pursue your passions by volunteering or working a summer job. Many students don’t know where to volunteer and the truth is the sky is the limit – anything that interests you has the potential for being a volunteer service project. Get creative in your approach! For ideas about existing needs for volunteers you can visit Hands On Central Ohio. Speaking of resumes, during summer break, you should really spend an hour or two updating your resume.

If you are starting to consider different careers, perhaps you have a family member or friends that would allow you to shadow them for a day or two on the job to see what their particular career is really like as this will help you determine if that career is truly of interest to you.

Visiting colleges is a great idea for students of every age.  While there won't be as many students on campus during the summer months as the regular school year, the reality is you will still be able to get an idea of what you think about various schools to help you figure out what it is that you do and do not like in various schools.  Of course, don't forget to take a picture of you somewhere on campus for me!

Current juniors (Soon to be Seniors) – this summer is going to be busy as you prepare for your senior year. Hopefully you are ready to begin drafting your college application essays and doing more in preparing for the ACT and SAT exams.
Of course, there is always spending quality time reconnecting with your family, going on vacation, reading, and even attending camps or other formal activities which can be a part of the summer for many.

The bottom line is try to be productive this summer – at the very least it will give you great stories to share next fall when people ask you what you did over the summer.