We all know that the summer before college is a great time to make memories and work on skills, but it can be hard to figure out what exactly you should do.
Not to worry, we’ve got you covered! We’ve pulled together a list of 20 things to do this summer before college so you don’t leave anything important behind when it comes time for college.
This Post Is All About Things To Do The Summer Before College
1. PREPARE FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR
Going off to college can be scary, but students who are prepared often have more excitement than anything else.
These are a few ways you can prepare for your first year of college
Researching your major is something you should do as soon as possible, even if it’s just to get an idea on what the field is like or what positions are available. The more information you know about your chosen area of study will help determine which career path would work best for you and how much time per year you’ll spend in school.
If you are undecided, look at your options
Take personality tests
Consider the variety of clubs your university offers.
Look at the sports they offer
Get an idea of what your college life might be like by keeping tabs on people who go to your college with on Instagram or other social media.
2. Get your Finances in Check
One of the main things students stress about during college is money. There are ways to make your money stretch further, and we have some tips for you.
Create a budget and stick to it
Start a savings account and put money away every month
Look into student loan options
See if you can get scholarships or grants
Find a job on or off campus
Cut back on unnecessary expenses like Netflix, eating out and shopping
Think about ways to make extra money such as tutoring, dog walking or babysitting.
3. Get Your Dorm Essentials Ready
Preparing for college is an exciting time, but also a stressful one. You’re probably filled with thoughts about all the aesthetic dorm decor ideas you want to try out as well as questions like “will I need this towel?” or “is my hair dryer too big?”.
You might be thinking about what essentials are missing in your college packing list. But don’t worry, here’s 50+ must-have dorm room essentials list that will definitely help you master this task of figuring out what essential stuff is lacking from your checklist.
Also, don’t overpack: a lot can still be bought after settling into one’s new school digs and make use of those free Amazon two day shipping benefits for any items needed at later times as well!
{RELATED POST: THE ULTIMATE LIST OF COLLEGE DORM ROOM ESSENTIALS FOR GUYS}
4. Travel
It’s summertime, so it’s a perfect time to take trips! You can explore different parts of the United States or even venture outside of it.
5. Volunteer
Volunteering is a great way to spend your summer while gaining experience that will help you in life. There are various places you can volunteer at, such as your own community or environmental groups like plastic pollution, ocean clean ups, and planting trees.
6. Write A Bucket List
Having a bucket list before you start your freshman year of college is important so that you have an idea of what you want to do and achieve both during the summer as well as in the first semester.
It’s also nice to make them because it just makes you excited to do all those things! An excellent way for getting inspiration is by searching Pinterest.
7. Declutter Your Room
Decluttering your room and organizing the things you have will make moving out so much easier, and can serve as a summer project in addition to other projects that are important.
8. Research The Area Your Moving Too
I always recommend using the internet to do this research, by checking out google earth and local community pages. Or if your campus is a few hours drive away or you can afford to fly, why not spend a day or the weekend checking out the surrounding area so that its not so daunting.
9. Visit Your Old Friends / Family
If you haven’t seen your friends and family in a while, how about visiting them before you head off to college? It’s common to become disconnected with old friends as we grow up. Spending time with them before leaving can allow you to reconnect and provide key motivation for staying in touch after moving away.
10. Plan Your Move
Moving into campus can be an exciting and daunting time in your life. Preparation is key to make the most of any new challenge you will encounter.
To make moving through the transformation easier, consider organizing things before it actually happens, such as decluttering or making a schedule for everything you need to take with you.
11. Make Money
It’s not just about making money to spend during the summer, it can be anything that will help you financially. Work as a cashier at your grocery store or even babysit younger children! You could also try working online with sites like Fiverr or UpWork
12. School Supplies Shopping
I know I’ve mention above about dorm necessities and the fact that it’s not too important to have everything on your first day of college. But, of course, there are a few items which you should get ahead of time if possible; pens, paper for note-taking in classes (you can always buy more later), textbooks before they sell out completely so you’re prepared for your first day of classes!
13. Join School Social Media / Groups
Social media is an indispensable tool for meeting people and getting involved. In this day and age, it’s no surprise that Facebook groups are one of the best way to find your peers! To maximize connections with your future classmates, search Facebook for “(School Name) Class of 20__”! There should be a group or two relevant to you – just join them! Your university may have its own class page on social media as well. Once found, look through there hashtag or share a photo using there hashtags or @’s you never know you might find a future classmate or a future class mate might find you
14. Connect with Roommates
It can be hard to introduce yourself when you don’t know your new roommates. Luckily, there are some easy ways for doing so! If they give out an email address send them a quick note introducing who you are and how excited you are about the upcoming year. And if their phone number is available start up a group text conversation with everyone in the room and ask where they’re from too – that will help kickstart conversations quickly
15. Update your Resume and Cover Letter
Even if you’re not interested in looking for a job this summer its still important to keep working on it and keep it up to date
16. Register for Orientation
student orientation is an essential part of any college experience because it’s where you’ll get the information from your professors, meet other students with similar interests and learn about the place where you’re be spending the next 4 years of your life. Also, check with you college whether you need to register for it or not as some colleges require it and some don’t.
17. Clean up/organize your social media accounts
Remove any old, embarrassing posts that you don’t want your roommate, teachers or future employees to see.
Starting your LinkedIn account can help you find a job or internship, network with professionals in any field and much more. You might not use it all of the time right away but you’ll likely end up using it later on in your college life. (Speaking of which…you should start looking for an internship NOW – trust me, you won’t regret it)
Join the class Facebook page and/or follow the Twitter account to stay up-to-date on extra curriculars, announcements, study groups, and other helpful tips!
18. Register for classes
If you’re a first-time college student, then it can be overwhelming to figure out what classes are going to work best for your schedule and interests. Luckily there is the syllabus! Reviewing this document will give you all of the details about each class in order so that they’re easier to compare with one another. Make sure not register for something just because someone else has told you that it’s great (you might want do some research on them too)!
19. Research clubs and organizations offered by your college
Prepare to get involved in college life! One thing that many college grads express regret over is not being more involved on campus. Joining clubs and organizations is a great way to make friends and build professional contacts.
20. Look into your school’s Study Abroad programs (highly recommended!)
This is probably the last thing to cross your mind when you’re about to start college, but you should definitely look into it and discuss it with your parents as you never know you might want to do it one day.
This post Was All About Things To Do The Summer Before College
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