What to do the Summer before College

Now that your high school career is over and you’ve decided which college you’re going to, depending on your state, you’re going to have 2-3 months of absolute freedom. You owe it to yourself to take a break if you’ve been busy with college applications, scholarship application or recovering from Grad Night. This is one of the most obligation free and liberating time of your life, and whether you loved or hated high school, it’s a time to evaluate how far you’ve come and how far you’d like to go. A lot or a little can happen during this time, and it’s all up to you how to make the best of this time.

There’s a reason why people complain about their student loans years after they’ve graduated. College is expensive. The best thing you could do the summer before college is no doubt working part time. Not only will you gain extra cash but also experience that you’ll be able to call upon anywhere in life. One of the most important things in college is time management, and if you hold down a part time job during the summer, you’ll be much further than the rest of your friends once college rolls around.

You’ll be able to spend time with your family during Thanksgiving or Winter Break, but this is one of the last times you’ll be able to connect with your high school friends as you are. This only applies if you feel that you want to stay friends, but this is one of the times where people can change a lot during a short time, so keep in touch with the best of your friends while you can.

You should invest in yourself your entire life, but post high school graduation is a great time for honest evaluation. What has worked for you and what hasn’t? What parts of yourself do you like, and which parts would you rather change? Read books and pick up a new skill, and think of how you would describe your hometown, your experiences, and you to new friends in college. Pick one habit to improve for one month, and if you keep up at it you’ll be surprised at yourself and what new stories you’ll be able to share.

If you can afford to, by far the best thing you could do to prepare for college is taking a college summer course. Not only will you have a leg up the rest of your peers academically, by the end of the summer you’ll have a sense of the atmosphere of the college, have no problem navigating the campus, and maybe you’ll have made a few friends already.

But if that is not a possibility, do online research on what your college will be like, contact your roommate, and make a list of the essentials you’ll need at college, take into account wardrobe changes and basic toiletries. Look up what clubs are available at campus to save yourself time and familiarize yourself with college culture.