Summer Sanity Bucket List
We have another guest blog writer this month, Anne Shields! Anne is Simply Admission’s new career coach. You can learn more about her background here. We’re very excited to have Anne on our team!
You’ve worked HARD for four years. And, if you are taking AP tests, it’s still not over. The end is in sight though – take a couple of deep breaths and bask in your success!
So now what? It’s all done, right? You’ve paid the deposit, worn the t-shirt, and thanked your rec letter writers. Except…remember when summer seemed to last forever? This one will fly by as it’s packed with everything you want to do before heading to campus. Your life has been focused on getting into college. What follows is a checklist to prepare you for being in college. Consider it a pragmatic bucket list of summer to-do items that will smooth out the hectic first week on campus. Invest a bit of time on these and you’ll go a long way in preparing yourself for your future independence and responsibilities.
1. Create a Budget. You’ve figured out how the big college costs will be covered, but what about all the incidentals that crop up every time you turn around? Things like emergency computer repair, late-night pizza, or the weekend road trip to visit a friend at a nearby university? A budget will give you a better idea of the college lifestyle you can afford. If you’ve never had a budget, pilot one this summer to get a feel for tracking where the money goes.
2. Where does the money come from? Have the family conversation now about what extras they’ll cover, and which are up to you. If you run out of meal points before the semester ends, what happens? Who pays for a special concert? What happens if you lose your phone? And, if you were awarded a work-study grant, who makes up the difference if you don’t complete all the hours you are allotted?
3. Speaking of work-study…. Take 20 minutes to research applying for a campus job. Snap up an assignment that will help you advance your goals--best-paying, skill-building, researching, or built-in study time? Those who apply early get the best options.
4. Research clubs and leadership opportunities. What activities and clubs are available on campus? Most schools will hold an activities fair sometime in the first weeks. But if you have dreams of writing for the college paper, auditioning for an a cappella group, or serving on the “green team,” reach out to the student leaders and introduce yourself!
5. Clean your room. Yep, you read that right. Make room for the “new you” who will return to that house and that space. Clean up, pack up, and reorganize everything. Not so sure? Here are two good reasons: it will make packing for school much easier and if you need something sent to you, your family will be able to easily find it.
6. Keep your brain active. Whether it’s reading something you’ve put off for a long time, revisiting an old favorite, or catching up on favorite podcasts, do something that reminds you that learning for fun is pure enjoyment.
7. Buy new tech! But before you do, check the school’s IT website. There are typically some great sales at the start of the year with deep discounts for students!
8. Jump WAY ahead. As silly as it may sound, it is not too early to begin thinking about how to best use your winter and summer breaks. Go to the career center’s webpage and register for your school’s online services (Handshake is one that many schools use). Check for summer workshops to help you tweak your academic/college resume into shape for campus job applications. Start window shopping in the internship listings, too. Early applications make a big difference as many internships post the last day applications can be submitted. Consider this the early-decision version of scoring internship positions!
9. Become a shadow. If your summer job/internship search left you empty-handed, use some of the time you would have spent working becoming more knowledgeable of the career fields you are considering. Ask family, friends, and friends of the family for help meeting professionals who do what you hope to do. Ask them if it is possible for you to shadow for a day, or three!
10. Become less lost or confused. If you are undecided about a major or career direction your summer research efforts will produce huge dividends. Can’t decide between physics and biomed? Between creative writing and advertising? English or political science? Maybe you really want to study anthropology but are worried that “no one hires anthropology majors.” Take some personality and career assessments to help you narrow in on your options. Use shadowing to investigate fields that spark your curiosity. Use LinkedIn, or ask the career center, to point you to local alumni with the majors you are considering. See for yourself what people do with a major in whatever you are most curious about!
11. Plan a family-only gathering. Graduation parties are great to mark the milestone and spend time with friends. But, sometimes, family members get lost in the excitement of larger gatherings. Consider a late summer casual dinner or party with any grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in the area. You might also consider inviting close family friends to share your success and wish you well in your new endeavors.
12. Have an adult talk with your parents. It’s no secret - you will grow and change dramatically this coming year, especially if you go away to college. Your parents will also experience a seismic shift. Begin the conversation now about how often you’ll visit home, how often you plan to speak (not text) with them, and (this could be the toughest) how might “house rules” loosen up when you come back home. You may not settle everything, but now is the time to get onto the same page.
13. Carve out you time. The pressure and anxiety of senior year take a toll - mentally and physically; now, add on the flurry of grad parties and last goodbyes to this chapter of your life. You need, yes really need, downtime—to reflect on the closing of one chapter of your life and the opening of the next. Do this however you want - journaling, making art, having long conversations with a close friend. Check-in with yourself about who you are, what you believe in, how you want to grow, and what kind of person you want to become. The coming year will bring uncountable new challenges and possibilities. How can you prepare yourself to be more open and ready?
As you work through this list and find that you could use some guidance with career assessments, shadowing, resume tweaking, or internship searches, please know that Simply Admissions and I can help. I’ve coached thousands of college students and I’m certain I can help you gain the information, confidence, clarity, and experiences that will lead to your next big accomplishments!
Once again, congratulations and best wishes!