Tips on being productive over summer break

Photo credit: MCT campus

As a student, it’s great when the weather starts getting warmer reminding us that summer is coming. Most of us want to go to the pool, have barbecues, go on vacation and enjoy the lovely season and there is no reason to be ashamed of doing that. But why not this summer, be productive and do some things for you and for others.

Volunteer

• Be a big brother or sister

Big Brothers Big Sisters is great way for young people to join and become a role model for someone. It is a few hours a month for you to spend time with your “little” and do some simple activities such as playing catch or reading a book together.

• Join Meals on Wheels

Volunteer to deliver meals to seniors. Some of the programs serve meals at senior centers or deliver meals directly to a senior’s home, depending on the available programs.

• Campus Compact

You could get involved with this program over the summer. It works with more than 1,100 schools to give students the chance to make a difference.

• Read for the blind and dyslexic

This program has volunteers who read and records books and other texts for the blind and dyslexic.

• Volunteer Match

This company helps to find the perfect volunteer job for you.

Develop Personally

• Make a personal website

This is a great tool for a student looking for jobs or internships. WordPress blogs and sites like WebStarts can help you to make one.

• Get organized

Before the fall semester begins, get all of your papers organized. Set up a system that helps to keep all of your things in places where you will know where to find them when needed.

• Start healthy habits/stop bad habits

Since you have some time on your hands, this is the time to focus on yourself. Get healthy because it will help you live a long, healthy life.

• Make goals

Set goals for you to accomplish. This will help to challenge you and teach you to work towards success.

School and education

• Take summer classes

This idea does not sound fun at all, I know. But if you want to get ahead and get closer to graduation, this is a great way to do it. Summer classes can also help bring up your grade point average.

• Apply for scholarships

There are so many scholarship opportunities for students. Local scholarships are great and there are many tools online to help find scholarships as well.

• Make a resume or update your current one

A resume will help in your journey to find internships and jobs. If you need help creating one, there are tools online to help you or talk to your school’s advisor about it.

• Find a job or internship related to your field of study

This would be a great way to earn money and learn valuable skills for your future career. Some internships are not paid but this will help you get ahead of other candidates for a future job and show you have experience in the field. A job or internship could lead to a job once you graduate and it will look great on your resume to future employers.