Seize the Summer: 5 Tips For Summer Success
When your last final is complete and all term papers have been submitted, when you can finally take a breath and reflect on the end of a hectic semester, no one can blame you for wanting to not think about school again until the fall. But that feeling of relief is direct evidence for why it’s such an advance to strategically seize the summer. Academic terms are short and the pace of activity picks up quickly, so the summer and other between-semester breaks are the ideal time to get organized and prepared for the next term and beyond. Here are 5 tips for a productive, successful summer.
1. Fill prerequisites and requirements
Tuition is expensive and time is precious. So the summer can be a great time to fulfill graduation requirements and prerequisites, enabling you to spend more of your time and tuition on the courses that impact your major, career, and interests the most. Be sure to check how your school and program handle transfer credits, of course, and you may have the option to take inexpensive community college classes to unblock your schedule for semesters to come.
2. Prepare for your most challenging courses
Some courses just loom larger than most. Maybe it’s a competitive gateway to your desired major, designed to “weed out” a large group so that only the standouts are left (orgo, anyone?). Or perhaps it’s the course you’ve been “saving for later” because although you’ve technically met the prerequisite requirement (hello, calculus), it was so long ago that you dread having to relearn and reuse those skills. Whatever your biggest fall challenge, remember that the best way to catch up is to not let yourself get behind in the first place. You can use the summer to get up to speed, whether by retaking that prerequisite or previewing that course as a nondegree student (again, community, local, and online colleges can be great for this) or by doing some supplemental work with a study group or tutor. Yes the stakes may be high this fall, but you have all summer to get yourself ready in a no-pressure environment.
Did you know?
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3. Volunteer or intern
Whether you’re on a defined track (pre-med, pre-law, engineering) or trying to find your path, summer offers a great opportunity to see what’s at the end of that road and determine how much you like the destination. Whether it’s a full-time internship or a part-time volunteer opportunity, getting some direct experience in a field you’re pursuing can help you decide where and whether to specialize in that field with advanced coursework, whether you might want to broaden your path to have more flexible options, or whether you want to reconsider that track altogether. And if you stay on that path or a nearby version of it, that summer experience will look great on a resume and provide you with contacts to get your foot in the door.
4. Get grad school ready
For many students, the path will lead through graduate school. You may already know that grad school is your immediate destination after college, or you may just suspect that it’s a possibility after you’ve gotten some experience. Either way, know this: test scores are typically valid for 5 years, your study and test taking skills will never be sharper than they are when you’re a student, and the best time to study for a high-stakes test is when there are no other tests on your schedule. In other words, if you even suspect that grad school is in your future, the summer is a perfect time to prepare for one of the entrance exams and post a score that your future self will thank you for having.
Did you know?
Varsity Tutors have access to free graduate test prep classes and self-study resources, a perfect way to seize the summer.
5. Develop skills outside of school
A common lament among young professionals is “why didn’t they teach me this in school?” Whether it’s how to do your taxes, non-academic tech skills, or other professional development activities, you’ll likely find that the skills you gain from college have to be supplemented by skills you pick up as you go. (Yes, it happens to all of us: TikTok inevitably gives way to LinkedIn)
So find time this summer to pick up non-scholastic skills that you know–or suspect–you’ll need after graduation. From professional skills like data analytics and navigating the Microsoft Office suite through lifestyle skills like financial literacy and foreign languages, the summer affords you the time and low-pressure environment to build a skill set that serves your future well.
