College Summers - Smart Ways to Spend Your Summer

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From the first day of classes in the fall to the last day of classes in the spring, summer can seem like an oasis. Your student's summer months can be both enjoyable and a productive way to contribute to their college goals.

Students can head home and get a great job. They can stay with friends or family, possibly save money on food and rent, and still earn some extra cash. Many summer camps, YMCA's, restaurants, resorts, movie theaters and day care centers love hiring college students for the summer. Remember, too, that a "great" job can mean lots of different things: good pay, resume building, and improving skills they can bring back to campus in the fall.

Students can get an internship. There are still internships available. One good web-site is college.monster.com. In the competitive job market, experience in their field puts them ahead of other applicants. If they have a positive experience, it makes them more certain of their career path and more motivated students. If it was a bad experience, it's better to learn that their chosen field isn't what they thought it would be before graduation.

Students can stay at school and get a great job. Job openings on or near campus may be much better than options back at home. Seniors graduate, most students leave campus and faculty spend much of their summer months catching up on research. Summer is a great time to ask staff, faculty and researchers for a job. We also have a variety of summer camps that employ students.

They can volunteer in their home city, the city where their school is, or somewhere they've never been. They can volunteer in their home country or somewhere halfway across the globe. They can volunteer for a political campaign, for a religious organization, or for a social-justice based non-profit. The options are limitless! Corporations are not only interested in hiring graduates who have good GPA's, they also want employees who can communicate, get along with others, who have character and integrity. Volunteering makes applicants well-rounded.

Do research or take extra classes in their field. Tech doesn't have as many Humanities classes as other Liberal Arts schools. Students can take a class during the summer and transfer the credit to Tech. It's best if they get prior approval from the Registrar though. Did they really connect with a professor during the academic year? See if he or she needs any research assistants over the summer. Do they want to research their own theories? Apply for grant money to stay on campus. Think they might want to change their major? Encourage them to take an extra class or two to see if it's really what they want to do.

Travel the world. On top of being a fantastic journey, it can also connect them to their academic course of study. Science and technology has become a global pursuit. Traveling to another country broadens students' understanding of what's going on an international scale.

A certain amount of rest and relaxation is critical during the summer break in order to get students ready for the rigor of college life. They might be horizontal in front of the TV for a week or two after finals but hopefully, they bounce back - ready for a productive, fun summer. We hope that you enjoy your time with them this summer