Maximize Your Summer Break

As the spring semester winds down, students welcome the summertime with open arms. With countless hours spent towards classes, assignments, and studying for exams, it is truly time to take a break. While this is much needed, you also need to remember that completely disregarding the routine that keeps you productive can be detrimental. Over the past academic year, you learned new ideas, further developed skills, and came to know more about your interests. What will you do to pursue these and continue growing as an individual? We have a few ideas that will help you stay on track and make the most out of your summer.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle.

This is something that should be done year round and summer vacation is a great time to start. Follow a routine sleeping schedule and try to get about eight hours of sleep a night. A healthy lifestyle also means that you need to eat well and exercise regularly. When you are craving something sweet, treat yourself with some fruit and yogurt. There are plenty of simple and healthy recipe ideas you can find online. If going to the gym does not suit you; go for a hike, walk, or bike ride a few times a week.

Focus on yourself.

Having more time and less stress during summer vacation will give you time to focus on yourself. For instance, you can turn a weakness into a strength. If you want to improve on your social skills, volunteering would be a great way of doing so. Find an organization or institution you are interested in, and find out how to get involved. Another example would be improving your writing skills. There are various online journals you can contribute to by posting articles.

Take summer classes.

Many students like to take advantage of summer classes to ease up their schedule for the fall or spring or to graduate early. If you don't want to take formal classes but would still like to get ahead for the upcoming semester, here are some examples of the many resources for open courseware.

• MIT open courseware
• Khan Academy
• Coursera
• Academic Earth

Find a job or internship.

Many companies offer college students the opportunity to gain experience and most are paid positions. Make sure you have an updated resume available because you never know what can come your way. This is also a good time to reflect and think about your personal goals and career objectives. You can begin to map out the steps required to achieve these goals by creating a concept map. It provides a starting point and guided path to follow, which can also be adjusted as necessary.

Create an independent project.

With so many resources and ideas at your fingertips, you can dive into your interests. This can be accomplished by working on an independent project of some sort. This can be anything from a blog to creating a personal brand, or even making informative videos. Self-directed projects can be accomplished within a short time span or go on for as long as you please. It is also helpful to keep in mind that these projects may be great to present to future employers.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and setting goals for yourself can lead you to a more productive summer. Figure out which activities you would like to focus on and make sure you stay engaged. Create a flexible schedule that allows you to relax, yet remain on track with your objectives. Remember to always find ways to keep growing, rather than falling behind.

We are either progressing or retrograding all the while; there is no such thing as remaining stationary in this life.

James Clarke