School is very stressful so as you’re wrapping up the school year and studying for finals all you can think of is the sweet feeling of freedom that summer break brings. You’re probably looking forward to hanging out with your friends, staying up late watching Netflix, and sleeping in until noon. All of that sounds good, but remember that although the school year is ending, your goals and aspirations are an on going endeavor. Your summer should be spent wisely, taking advantage of the free time to get ahead in school or accomplish things that will help build your resume and make you a more worthy candidate for graduate school admission.
Productive college students use the summer by participating in internships, taking classes, or working. I spent the summer after my freshman year working and saving up to help afford to pay some of my tuition for the upcoming year. Last summer, which was the summer after my sophomore year, I spent six weeks in Seattle where I participated in a summer medical program called Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP). As a premed student the program helped me learn more about medical school and better prepared me for the medical school application. Next summer I plan on doing lab research.
Basically the point of this is that summer is great because it’s a long break from a stressful year, but if you are not taking advantage of your summer then you’re going to enter the next school year behind your peers. This is not to discourage you from enjoying your summer (enjoy it to the fullest!), but to remind you that you have to balance it with productivity. If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backwards. Summer might seem far away now, but you should plan ahead for what you want to do (apply for internships, sign up for classes) because its going to come sooner than you know it.