It's Not Too Early to Start Thinking About Summer!

While it may feel outrageous to be thinking about summer while there is still snow on the ground, now is the best time to start making those plans to assure you have a full range of options available to you! Like many things related to the college process, your first step in figuring out how to spend your valuable summer time is to step back and do a self-assessment. 

A few things to consider: first off: timing. How much of your summer would you like to devote to “doing stuff”? Is your school year very stressful, and do you just need some time to unwind? (TOTALLY VALID) Or, is your family planning to travel? When, and how much time, do you want to devote to some sort of structured activity? 

Secondly, what are your priorities? How do you most want to spend your time? Do you want to earn money this summer to save up for college? Would you like to volunteer for a local organization that is pursuing a mission you care about? Is there a passion or interest you’d like to develop further? Or do you want to try something completely new? Do you want to have more of a career-oriented experience? These are all terrific ways to spend your time and energy over the summer! I want to take a minute to break down each of these particular options (which are hardly exhaustive) and how they can serve you and set you up for success:

• Summer Job: While there may not be anything seemingly life-changing about slinging ice cream or folding clothes at The Gap, summer jobs are terrific ways to develop essential skills (while having the added bonus of earning some cash!). Jobs, in general, are a great way to strengthen those responsibility and team-work muscles. They force you to commit to being in a certain place at a certain time, work with others, and develop customer service skills!

• Volunteering: Committing your valuable summer time to serving others is a wonderful demonstration of character and maturity. Try to find a local organization that aligns with your values. Is there a particular cause you care most about? Or population (human, or otherwise!)? Think about your particular strengths; how can you make the most impact?

• Pursuing Passions/Exploring Interests: This can come in all shapes and colors. Is there a course you can take (online, on a college campus, locally) to learn more about a subject you are interested in?  Is there a “passion project” you can create for yourself? A question or problem you want to try and explore? Research you want to pursue (either with or without a mentor)? 

• Internships: Do your parents or their friends work in a field you find appealing? Getting some real-world office/field experience is another great way to solidify potential majors of interest and demonstrate commitment to that pursuit. Consider informal “informational interviews” with some of your parents’ friends (or even friends’ parents!) to learn more about some different industries!

However you choose to spend your summer, try and find the right balance between relaxation, socializing, and developing some skills and/or interests. Most importantly, no matter what you're doing, summer should be fun!