Summer Opportunities Everyone Should Experience At Least Once

By Samantha Weller on May 15, 2016

Summer is that nice, but funny part of the year, where suddenly the frequent challenges we faced, the incredible load of educational information we took in, the crazy routines we adhered to, and the self-discipline we had to undergo all seem to pause for a while, but only if we allow it all too.

Going from an immense amount of assets to stay on top of, to absolutely nothing instantaneously is what summer suddenly feels like in college. It certainly feels as though we’re taking a break from not just homework, but also from being our hard-at-work selves.

Summer is a lovely divide to step back from a seemingly prolonged year of work, but we should not be completely counterproductive over summer, while we can do so much more from countless possibilities. If we want to continue and expand our journey to find success, we have to take charge of ourselves, in the lack of authority towards working there usually is in summer.

And we should do at least one valuable activity over summer, whether to keep our minds active, to recall and apply everything we learned, discover new interests and skills, or find other chances that can advance our current goal in college. Any student would be wise to seek out chances to continue productivity over summer, for there are loads of free activities and fun options to consider. Even if it’s just simply reading to broaden our interests, we shouldn’t lose our credibility we work so hard to obtain, but often unknowingly lose.

Below is a list constructed to encourage those who are lost about what they should do over summer, or don’t even know all the waiting possibilities. Every college student should do at least one, as they serve as not only constructive towards college, but towards developing ourselves into better people. Summer breaks are certainly different now, but we need to realize we are nearing the real world, and should make the most out of the sources we have, for we ultimately define our own summer.

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Study Abroad

Probably the most life-changing and overall success-enhancing of opportunities, studies continuously find that studying abroad has excessively high improvements for people in numerous areas of improvement.

study from the University of Georgia that sought to find benefits of studying abroad, found that students who studied abroad displayed a 100 percent increase in grades and overall GPA. It seems students gain a new, and even more appreciative perspective on their education, from an entirely new learning experience that also explores a whole new environment along with it.

Another study at the University of Maryland claims that 97 percent of students that studied abroad said the experience broadened their maturity, while another close amount of students said they got a newfound self-confidence, and 95 percent said studying abroad has a significant impact on your life thereafter.

Now, the cost of studying abroad ranges from $6,000 to $36,000, depending on where you are traveling. However, there are many ways to cut the costs of study abroad programs, but still, the outcome of the expenses seem to be worth it. And for those that cannot afford to study abroad for an entire semester, traveling for fun still remains, and always will remain, a great option for college-aged people, for even doing that without intent to specifically study there can still broaden our horizon to a large degree.

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Internship

An internship is quite a unique way to strengthen our skills. The internships students will learn the most from are those that require them to work in an office, rather than at home. This will give students a feel of what a workplace feels like, much more in depth than any minimum wage retail or food industry summer jobs out there. People adapt to entirely new skills from internships, and ones that usually further our education and goals in college.

There are thousands of online internships where students can work at home, for those who would prefer to do that, or are working over summer. For starters, there are a wide range of areas to find internships. Internships.com, Internship Programs, and LookSharp, are all great places to start for students seeking internship openings.

Students can search for internships by skills, areas, paid or unpaid, and by timeframe. Students can also ask professors in the department of their major for internships that relate to their studies in the area. Colleges usually have internship offers for students interested in interning around their school area. You never know what kinds of new interests and skills you can expose yourself to from doing an internship; plus, internships stand out on resumes a lot, and go to show that you are capable of doing something work related that goes beyond school, as well as have a wide-range of unique extra skills.

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Joining Clubs, Organizations, or Groups

Local communities usually provide a bountiful amount of summer activities, whether by university summer programs, or local organizations; being well-rounded is a must for young adults. The range of choices expands from Tae Kwon Doe or other self-defense classes; summer sports such as swimming, soccer, football, even yoga; clubs such as outdoor, literacy, or language clubs, even babysitting, are all out there.

However, when deciding what program best fits your interests, consider that applicants look for quality over quantity when it comes to additional activities. In other words, choose something you will continue to be enthusiastic about doing when describing it in a future interview, or applying what you got out of it in a job. Find something that will have an everlasting effect on you.

Doing enjoyable summer activities may not have the same effect as studying, or interning over summer, but they will still display leadership and other essential qualities to talk about when applying for jobs. Summer activities like such are also a great way to meet new people outside of college, which is always a plus. A great way to advertise yourself is joining forums of topics in your field of interest, or posting an ad in a local newspaper, explaining in depth the opportunity you are seeking, if you are looking for more of a hands-on job. Students even have the option of creating their own club over summer, and this would also show and build great leadership skills.

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Volunteer

There will always be a huge amount of chances to volunteer, and sometimes volunteering can really benefit your local area, not just your career goal. Programs such as VolunteerMatch help people find volunteers that best fit their interests and skills, and in their area. They also have the option of choosing volunteering causes based on what you care most about.

Volunteering will help you grow as a person, while building a resume, and is an overall great deed. It is very prestigious and shows your dedication to what field you volunteer for; it can show who you are as a person on a resume. When I volunteered at an elementary school, I learned far greater than I ever would have intended, and it really made an impact on how I adjust to a certain and unfamiliar working environment.

Harvard Heath Publications says that volunteering is actually great for your well-being. For those that not only seek to benefit their chance at success, but also to become more selfless or publicly involved in a way that they cannot at school, volunteering is a perfect choice. Churches, nursing homes, homeless shelters, or animal shelters are all great options to consider. College students may feel like a small part of the community, but it’s good to recognize how much we can contribute, which is much more than we think.

Lastly, volunteering is an overall rewarding experience that can provide a sense of purpose to our lives, when we don’t usually feel that from being in college and leading similar lifestyles to all those around us.

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Free Online Courses (Yes, they do exist.)

It’s always great to expand our knowledge and interests, and while the core curriculum might make many students dread taking topics other than their area of focus, there are classes out there you might have never considered taking, and best of all — a lot of them are free!

Don’t let the tradeoff of having the benefit of free and online impair your ability to do as well in the class as you do with any other in college. The first time I took a free online class, I immediately realized that I handled and took in the information differently, not necessarily in the most beneficial way, however; it was interesting to learn how to learn from a whole new approach to receiving lessons.

Coursera is great online community that offers a variety of online classes, with many options to take free courses. If there isn’t one that particularly interests you, there are always those that can greatly benefit us on our path to success. Accounting, coding, grammar and punctuation, writing, communicating; there are beyond plenty of beneficial courses.

Some might find that there are even classes unheard of, that we cannot find at our own school. A new online class called learning how to learn, aspires to help students build skills needed to handle tougher classes. Another site called eDX has 955 online courses available, in 30 different topics.

Many community college and universities in the area offer summer classes, so this is another option for those who have a more flexible schedule. Taking courses over summer in general should definitely be considered, for anyone who wants to expand their knowledge and ease in life. 

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Independent Study

Independent study may be a whole new challenge, but is easier to find and plan out, having the most flexibility out of all. I personally think independent study is underrated, and too often disregarded by schools. Everyone should be encouraged to find their own path of learning at some point in their school career, as it can bring out underlying skills that might not be discovered in the set assignments and strategies in school. The best part of independent study is that you can make up your own project, and on any topic, or combined topics you choose.

When I was in high school, one of the biggest challenges I was faced with was a personal project. Nine months, 30 pages, a two-hour presentation, and continuous doubts of my research and independent work had me realize my true capabilities and determination. As an end result, I had never learned so much about myself, my independence, and my capabilities, from anything in school before. The byproduct of a guidebook I still look at today inspires me to be more creative with how I work and learn, and I have since been looking for opportunities to do a similar project in my school career.

It’s great to explore other topics on your own, through research, reading, visiting places, or meeting people in different areas of interest. With little to no guidance, we are forced to learn in a new form, from a dissociate state, and develop a strong diligence that can greatly help us adapt to many work situations where we need to think outside the box and be self-reliant.

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It can be quite overwhelming, from the amount of paths we can take, but summer is just the place to explore other educational opportunities while we don’t have the time in school. Taking chances, and finding extra activities in our spare time away from school is a sure way to open many other doors for further possibilities, and I implore anyone to try at least one in the limited time we have to do so.

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