Plan Now For Summer

I’ve been making my summer vacation plans for months.  We are going to Disney World (again!), but this trip we are going with some friends from college and their children.  We have the flights and resort booked and paid for.  We’ve made dining plans and have an idea of what we will do each day.  I’m a planner by nature, so I enjoy doing all of this. I’ll admit that the Disney World trip wasn’t our first choice.  We started in February looking at Disney cruises.  We found almost no availability on the Caribbean cruises during the summer.  Students looking to plan summer activities should take note – plan early if you want your best options for summer activities. Summer can still offer teens a time to relax and spend time with family and friends, but students who do nothing else are missing out on key opportunities.  The school year can be too busy.  Summer gives all students to opportunity to try out new things and pursue interests and talents. But you can’t wait until the second week of June to make summer plans.  Many universities offer summer programs for high school students to come to campus and sample college life for a few weeks.  Most of these programs have application deadlines in the spring.  If your summer plans include getting a job, don’t wait; employers are hiring now, so when summer begins they will have a fully trained staff ready to work. You don’t need to pay top dollar to participate in summer enrichment programs.  You can participate in activities that fit your interests.  Colleges aren’t looking for fancy titles and important sounding programs; they want to see what you did and what you learned from the experience. Consider some of these summer options:

1. Start your own business. Think of what talents, interests, skills or hobbies you have that others might want.  Use your knowledge of social media to promote your business.
2. Get your friends together and do a service project for the community. You don’t need to organize a huge, professional event to make a difference.  Find a need and be part of the solution.
3. Work 40 hours a week. Full-time work shows dedication and character.  Even if you take orders at a local fast food place, you will learn a lot (including why you want to go to college, so you don’t need to work the counter for the rest of your life.)
4. Write your first novel. Design your own fashion line then host a show.  Create enough original pieces to host your own art show.  Don’t think you need to wait to start achieving your creative dreams.
5. Develop and complete your own independent study course on a topic you love. Make a reading list and describe your activities.

Have fun this summer while you take advantage of opportunities.]]>