Things You Can Do This Summer

Written by: Hanbi Lee

Around this time of year, one of my favourite things to do (mostly as a means to procrastinate studying for exams) is to make plans for the summer. One of the biggest perks of being a university student is that we get a third of the entire year to do whatever we want, whether it’s working on a personal project, traveling, doing fun twenty-something-year-old things, making money, or building up our resume. It’s a significant amount of time that is extremely valuable and worth planning carefully how we intend to spend it.

Here are a few ideas to inspire you, should you need some prodding on making your summer plans!

Focus on Building Your Career:

The summer is a great time to jazz up your resume and gain hands-on experience that you might not be able to get from the classroom. Whatever your career goals may be, there are tons of options when it comes to building up your resume, such as doing an internship, volunteering for an organization, making/sharpening up your portfolio, embarking on a self-started project (like building an app), starting your own business, etc. Some of these can be done in collaboration with your peers, which can really help build accountability so that you see through to the end of the project!

Focus on a Creative Project:

Whether you’re in STEM or not, the summer is also a great opportunity to scratch the creative itch you might have been ignoring during the school year. You could take this chance to write something (a blog, a short story, an essay, an article, a screenplay, a novel – you name it). You could also start your own podcast if you prefer verbal communication to written. If music is your forte, you could write a song or even a musical! If your creative interests are more of the visual type, you could create a short film or start a YouTube channel. And if you have graphic design interests, you could create a zine/magazine! Even something small like starting a new Instagram that’s catered to something of your interest can be a great way to express your creativity, and it doesn’t even have to take up your entire summer!

Try a More Hands-On Project:

If you want to try something that’s a bit more laborious (but still just as gratifying), revamping your house or building a garden in your backyard (or an indoor garden if you don’t have space outdoors) could be great options to spend time productively.

Focus on Self-Care:

There are several ways to catch up on self-care during the summer, and with all the extra time you have on your hands, you could even make a project out of it. For instance, you could set fitness goals that were hard to keep up with and meet during the busy school year. The summer is also a great time to introduce and incorporate new habits into your lifestyle. And if at some point in the summer you start to miss the feeling of learning, looking for fun (and sometimes free) courses could be a great way to build your skill sets. For example, you could sign up for a cooking class, get a subscription to Masterclass, pick a lesson of your choice on Skillshare, take an online course on coding, or take tennis lessons. The world is your oyster when it comes to learning new things, and it could be a great opportunity to finally explore various interests you’ve had your mind on throughout the school year!

I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface with these suggestions, and as you can see, there are so many things you can do (even amidst a pandemic)! It’s good to start planning early to avoid having the entire summer fly by while you mull over the possibilities. Hopefully, this blog has gotten you pumped for the warm summer days to come and can be a source of inspiration for your summer plans.

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