A Guide To Making The Most Of Your Summer Break

“What are you doing with your summer?”

Fellow college students likely know this question well. People often ask it innocently, but when you’re at a competitive school preparing to enter a competitive job market, there can be a lot of pressure to secure an amazing summer internship, travel, do research, or pull off some crazy overachieving combination of all of the above.

A few years into my own college experience (and halfway through a great summer internship), I’ve had the opportunity to test out a few different ways to spend those precious few months before and after school. Here’s what I’ve learned along the way:

1. Travel. It’s invaluable, and it doesn’t have to be unaffordable.

For me, traveling is the ideal way to spend a summer break. My experiences exploring new places have introduced me to alternative perspectives and exposed me to different people and cultures. I never thought that I’d have the money as a student to make traveling an option, but that all changed once I started researching grants and scholarships. Last year, I left the United States for the first time to study in Spain. Yes, you can actually find organizations and people who will pay you to travel. A simple Google search for study abroad programs in a country you’re interested in could change your life forever.

2. Use internships to learn about what you do and don’t prioritize.

For those who prefer to get office experience over the summer, seeking out an internship is a great option. If the role you really want also happens to be unpaid, keep in mind that a lot of schools and organizations offer research grants and fellowships you can apply for to help you cover living expenses while interning. If you’re making a lot of money in your internship but aren’t feeling satisfied, carefully consider whether you actually want to pursue the full-time version of that. Internships are great opportunities to explore different industries and roles and figure out what suits you.

This summer, I was fortunate enough to land my dream internship at my favorite company. On top of loving the work environment, I also really value that it’s in New York City. Coming from Oakland, California, I was initially unsure of whether I would like living in New York. I thought the crowds and congestion might be overwhelming and distracting. But now that I’ve gotten into the rhythm of things, I actually love how the city pushes me to be more productive.

3. Return to your home base.

I want to put something out there that might be controversial to those of us undergrads who lack a certain “chill” button and always need to be doing something: If you're still in school, there is absolutely nothing wrong with going back home and doing your own thing for all or part of the summer. In fact, cherish the moments you’re able to spend with your family. You’ll soon be out in the world, hopefully with a job you love and probably with limited vacation days and/or money to spend on plane tickets (those student loans aren't going to pay themselves down). So, appreciate the time you have as a student, and don’t forget to let yourself relax, reboot, and catch up on things you haven’t had enough of during the school year.

Image by Alejandro Rojas