By adventuring around town with friends or wisely saving money, there are many productive ways to spend our final summer together before going off to college.
Going off to college will simultaneously be an exciting, nerve wracking and, overall, significant change in our lives.
No longer will we spend everyday in the same town with the same people many of us have grown up with for the past 18 years of our lives. Instead, we will be forced to venture outside of our comfort zones as we explore life as college students.
This approaching change in our circumstances makes this summer feel much more sentimental and consequential in comparison to our other summer vacations.
So, over the summer, don’t feel guilty for spending time with friends and really making the most of the connections and relationships you have with your peers.
A good way to do this is by having a graduation party.
Graduation parties are typically held by graduates and their families to celebrate their graduation with family and friends.
These parties are a great way to bond with your friends, or connect with peers you may not have previously interacted with, and reminisce over memorable experiences, while at the same time creating new memories together as official graduates. Continue celebrating these friendships throughout the summer, as these may be the last time you will be around all of these familiar faces once everyone disperses to college.
Make sure to continue this thread of spending quality time with people in your life when it comes to your family, as well.
Before we know it, we won’t be able to easily pop our heads into the living room and ask our mom a question or annoy our siblings.
So, have that family dinner outside, take your siblings on spontaneous ice cream runs and just cherish this time together before college.
Another productive way to spend some of your last summer before college is working. Whether it’s to save money that will go towards tuition, or to save up some spending cash for everyday life at college, getting a job will help you reach these goals.
College expenses can quickly add up, so spending a few days a week babysitting, serving at a restaurant, checking out groceries or doing yard work may not be the worst idea.
As a college student, you’ll want to make sure you have adequate spending money to not only go out with friends, but to also be able to easily restock necessities like deodorant and toothpaste, or to buy groceries.
Plus, getting a summer job will most likely leave you with consistent employment when you come back from college for future breaks and summers.
It will be much easier to get set up for summer when you’re able to work consistently for a couple of months than when you’re only back from school for a week or two and need to make a quick buck.
A big problem nowadays is spending the summer safely, opposed to having “one final hurrah.” We know the importance of spending the last summer of our childhood to its full potential and trying to have as much fun as possible, but this can be done in responsible ways.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 23% of high school students have had an alcoholic beverage in the past 30 days and 11% were binge-drinking in the same time period.
This may seem fun to some people, but such behavior can have life-altering impacts, not to mention the fact that it is illegal.
Police are aware of underage drinking and are always looking out for it.
Drinking underage is reponsible for around 4,000 deaths every year in the United States, according to the CDC.
Being caught can not only get you in trouble with your parents and various fines, it can actually lead to the loss of a scholarship or even acceptance into a college. Scholarships are given to students that colleges find mature and show the attributes that the college stands for. They expect these students to exhibit behavior that is respectable and safe.
When colleges find out or see that the students are acting against the values of the college, it is very possible for the scholarship to be taken away.
Not only can behavior lose scholarships, but so can insensitive or inappropriate social media posts.
According to Kaplan Test Prep, a leading provider of career and educational services for schools, one of their surveys showed that 35% of admissions officers check the social media accounts of college applicants.
With this in mind, think about what you post and consider if you would be okay with your future lying on it.
Social media likes are unimportant when compared to your future.
The goal is not to have a boring summer;it is just to be mindful of your actions and how they could affect the future.
There are endless ways to enjoy your summer with your friends without putting your academic success in jeopardy.
Go on hikes with your friends, spend valuable time with your family.
Make memories that will last long beyond college, and that you can look back on with a smile instead of regret.
This summer is the last time all of your closest friends will be free to just hangout whenever you want.
Use this time to take advantage of that. Don’t take it for granted. During college, everybody is invested in their own lives and their new friends. Things are going to be completely different from the last 12 years of school.
True, there will be long breaks and summers in between the college years, but things will still change and people will grow. Therefore, enjoy every moment and be present; make the most out of your final months of childhood in a safe and fun way.