Friday, October 7, 2011

5 Smart Summer Plans

College Summers - 5 Smart Ways to Spend Your Summer

Your summer plans can include study, travel, work, volunteerism, vacation - or a combination of each. (Stockbyte / Getty Images)

From the first day of classes in the fall to the last day of classes in the spring, summer can seem like an oasis. Your summer months can be both enjoyable and a productive way to contribute to your college goals.

  1. Head home and get a great job. You can stay with friends or family, possibly save money on food and rent, and still earn some extra cash. Remember, too, that a "great" job can mean lots of different things: good pay, good for your resume, good for the skills you can bring back to campus in the fall.
  2. Stay at school and get a great job. Job openings on or near campus may be much better than your options back at home. Why not stay on campus, relax a little, and earn some extra money?
  3. Volunteer. You can volunteer in your home city, the city where your school is, or somewhere you've never been. You can volunteer in your home country or somewhere halfway across the globe. You can volunteer for a political campaign, for a religious organization, or for a social-justice based non-profit. The options are limitless!
  4. Do research or take extra classes in your field. Did you really connect with a professor during the academic year? See if he or she needs any research assistants over the summer. Want to research your own theories? Apply for grant money to stay on campus. Think you might want to change your major? Take an extra class or two to see if it's really what you want to do.
  5. Travel the world. On top of being a fantastic journey, it can also connect to your academic course of study. If you want to major in International Relations, Spanish Literature, or Chinese, for example, summer travel can be both enjoyable and academic in nature (no matter what your parents might think!).

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