Summer break is quickly approaching! For some, it’s already here. Your friends are all heading back home to their hometowns to catch up with their families and friends. Some might be going on vacation to some cool places, like Hawaii or Cancun, to relax in the sun and drink some cold ones to celebrate a successful school year. Your friends might even all be going together. Unfortunately for you, you’re stuck in your college town. If you’re in this situation, you might be feeling sad and lonely. However, there are plenty of exciting and fun ways to spend your summer right where you are. In this blog post, we will explore multiple activities and opportunities that can help you make the most of your time and create a memorable summer experience.
Fun, Productive Ways to Spend Your Summer in Your College Town So You’re Not Bored Out of Your Damn Mind
1.) Explore the Town
Chances are, there are many cool places and attractions in your college town that you don’t know about yet. With the business of the school year, it’s easy to not notice a lot of the cool places around you. Take this summer as an opportunity to search up these places and visit them. I’m sure there are museums, historical places and many other cool spots that you didn’t know your college town offered! There might be some cool mom and pop shops that you didn’t know were around. Use this time to check all these places out.
I remember I had to spend the first half of my summer break in the dorms on my college campus. In one month, I discovered all the coolest spots on campus and the whole college town. I discovered all the tastiest restaurants and the best bars. Looking back, I could’ve probably become a tour guide for the city!
2.) Make Connections
While your friends might be away, your college town will most likely have a good amount of students who are there for one reason or another. Maybe some are locals and live there, or maybe others just enjoy the town and choose to stay there, whatever the reason may be, you should get to know them and make connections with them. An important aspect of being in college is making connections. One thing I noticed immediately after graduating college is that connections are just as important as all of your other accolades on your resume; education, internships, past jobs, etc.
You can make these connections by taking a summer course, or joining workshops and clubs. If you go to your school website, I’m sure you will be able to find a list of cool events and clubs taking place during the summer.
3.)Start a Passion Project
The idea of this blog post came from a friend that had to spend her summer in her college town because her job was year round. During the school year, she was super busy with her full time school schedule and her damn near full time job. But once summer came around, she didn’t have to focus on school anymore so she had a lot of time on her hands. So she was able to use the free time working on a passion project that she was too busy to start. She started making jewelry and selling it online. She is now 3 years out of school and doing this full time!
If you’re stuck in your college town and bored out of your mind, you should definitely work on all the projects that you’ve wanted to start or have been too busy to focus on. Whether that be painting, writing, music, or taking photos, use this time to work on this. With all the students at home, I’m sure the college campus and the town look beautiful and peaceful. I’m sure you can find beautiful, quiet places to draw or take pictures. With your roommate out of your apartment, I’m sure you can jam out and make music without worrying about bugging your roommate. Use this time to focus on YOUR passions and hobbies!
4.) Volunteer For a Cause
Spend your summer making a positive change in your community. Look for organizations near you that may need volunteers. With a lot of the town’s population away for the summer, I’m sure your help will go a long, long way. Not only will you be helping others, but you will also gain valuable experience, and possibly a new outlook on life. You can also use this opportunity to meet and build connections with kind hearted people like you, who want to make big changes in this world.
If you visit your school campus, city hall, or Google, I’m more than positive you will find many ways to volunteer and help!
5.) Enjoy The Empty Town and College Campus
Make the most of the warm weather, and enjoy the emptiness of the campus and the town. Enjoy the downtown restaurants and bars without being bothered by all the wild, drunk college students. Take a nice stroll through your beautiful, empty college campus. I’m sure it’s hard to really notice the beauty of the campus and the town because it’s so busy and crowded during the year. You only have two or so months of the town being empty, so enjoy it and take it all in before you start another school year!
Although you might feel like your situation isn’t the ideal situation, and you might want to spend your summer at home, at the end of the day you probably don’t really have a choice. Embrace it. There are numerous ways to enjoy your summer, so don’t spend your time being sad about it, but instead go out and have fun. Try new things, join volunteer organizations, go on a hike, meet new people! Use this time to learn new things about yourself. Use it as an opportunity for personal growth.