10 Things To Do The Summer Before College
Congratulations Class of 2018! How have you been spending your summer before college? Sleeping? Working? Gaming? Maybe you aren’t sure how to spend your summer? Some of your friends are out of town—maybe even out of the country—and you’re just stuck at home not knowing what to do.
Here are 10 things that you can do this summer to help you prepare for college while still making your summer memorable.
Sign-Up For Orientation… Early
If you have the choice to choose your orientation dates, you should choose an earlier date. If you do, you’ll have less struggle figuring out your schedule and you will save so much time during orientation.Find out what kind of big events are offered during your college’s “Welcome Week.”
Explore The City With Your Friends
One of the biggest things I regret from my last summer before college is that I didn’t get to explore my city. I still don’t know too much about my own city, even though I’ve lived here for more than 10 years. Explore your city as much as you can. Ask around to other college students for any nearby events. Don’t just go to the movie theaters and restaurants every week. Go check out some musicals, festivals, and new restaurants. By knowing your city, you will feel more comfortable having friends over during the breaks and not have to worry about what to do. Be ready to guide your friends around your city. Be proud of your city!
Check Out Your College Campus
Stop by campus and see where buildings are and find some places where you could see yourself hanging out or studying. Research some of the best local restaurants and businesses near your college campus. Campus food can get old pretty quickly so knowing alternatives always helps!
Figure What You Need for College – Including Your Dorm
Remember to get items such as utensils, blankets, fans, computers, backpack, refrigerator, microwave, etc. Don’t forget a box of ramen noodles! Also, figure out who your roommate is and discuss who will bring what. Do you want to bring a TV? Are they bringing a game console? You should discuss everything you may be bringing with your new roommate that way you all aren’t spending money on the same things!
Get to Know Your Roommate
Discussing who will bring what appliances is important, but it’s also nice to get to know your roommate even before you see him/her. Find each other on Facebook and maybe even Facebook stalk each other (we all do it). Chat with one another and get to know each other’s hobbies and pet-peeves. This is the person (or people) who you will be living with for the first year in college. He/She could be your best–or worst–friend these next four years. Who knows?
Find a Job
Finding a job during the summer will help when funds start getting low in the middle of the semester. Food isn’t cheap in college so if you want to go out and eat delicious food instead of eating at the school dining hall every day, fill up your wallet. I know some people who found internships right after graduating from high school. I don’t want to force you or pressure you to finding an internship, but I just want to let you know that it’s not impossible. Now, if you try and you don’t find an internship offer, you can always find a part-time job at a local restaurant to stack up your funds for college. That extra money in college can help during finals week when you want to grab some snacks and energy drinks for all-nighters.
Find Your Class Facebook Group Page
Trying looking for an official group page for your class. It’s simple. Type in “_____________ Class of 2018” with the name of your school in the blank. This will allow you to keep track of what your classmates are doing before school starts, ask any questions you may have, and keep up with any class events. Often times you can also look on your school’s admissions website for a link to these pages.
Check Your E-mail!
What I didn’t do during the summer is check my school e-mail – and that was a mistake. You should check your e-mail–not just your personal, but also your school e-mail–every week or so. Important e-mails relating to financial aid, housing, and season tickets for sports often are sent during the summer.
Think About Your Major
If you haven’t picked a major yet, that’s alright. It’s still somewhat early to decide on your major, but it doesn’t hurt to know. Don’t just choose one at random though. Keep your options open and take classes that will allow you to be flexible with your choice of major. I went into college thinking about going to business school. However, after the first year, I decided to pursue Computer Science because I kept my options open and had the opportunity to experience variety of subjects.
Relax and Have Fun
Like I said, this is one of the few summers you have left to just have fun. In the next few summers, you’ll be busy taking summer classes, finding internships, and/or studying abroad. Enjoy this summer with your friends and family! Go on a vacation! Go on a road trip! Go to the beach! Find something to do and keep yourself busy and excited! If you do one thing from this list, you should relax and have fun!
What are some other ways you’re preparing this summer? Let us know below or on Twitter!