When I was younger, nothing beat coming home to my mom blaring Alice Cooper on the last day of school. The weather could be dark and gloomy but in my mind the sun was brighter than ever when the words, "School's out for summer!" danced through my ears. I burst through the doors knowing that I wouldn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn the next morning to catch the bus. My summers as a preteen, even up until the middle of high school, consisted of nothing but carelessly vegging out and putting thoughts of five paragraph essays and basic algebra into the farthest depths of my noggin.
Unfortunately, Alice Cooper didn't make a song about summer for college kids. Just when you think the semester is over, life wraps you in its chaotic embrace. If you're like me, work and summer classes consume your soul in one gulp. Even though taking summer classes might prove to be taxing on your beach-obsessed mind, the opportunities that await you once the summer session is over are endless:
1. Sleep in
It doesn't matter if your summer class is online or in a classroom; when an entire semester's worth of information is being crammed into a few short weeks, you have no choice but to start your day early and pound it out.
2. Cease the waterworks
There's no crying in summertime! Or baseball, but, you know what I mean. Classes are tough, OK? They're super tough when all of your friends are at music festivals or Wing Night, and you're cooped up in your bedroom crying over organic chemistry. Or, like me, failing to tell you all about my life in Spanish, backwards, using every verb tense at least seven times.
3. Get a bath
I don't care what anyone says, baths are not just for grandmas and children. For the love of all things, destinkify yourself. Now that you have all the time in the world, you can pamper yourself with a nice bubble bath. While you're at it, brush your teeth.4. Binge Netflix
The only work involved in this escapade includes making yourself comfy, grabbing a few snacks and reminding Netflix that after a few hours, yes, you're still watching. If you're interested in discovering new potential guilty pleasures, click here or here.
5. Wash laundry
Wearing the same clothes every day only works for cartoon characters. Now you can dedicate your free time to making a cleanly dent in the pile of soiled cloth that most likely exploded all over your bedroom floor weeks ago. The cats might love to lay in it, but I wouldn't trust anyone who washes their clothes with their tongue.6. Stop neglecting pets
Your fur babies and purr-pillows might get a little freaked out when they notice their human is out of whack. Since class is over, they fully expect to be fed and loved the first moment you open your peepers in the morning. A walk in the park never hurt, either; chances are, you could use one too.7. Eat
Pit stops at the drive-thru, Clif bars in the car and stale bags of Doritos by your bedside are a thing of the past! You are free to go back to eating three wholesome meals a day whenever. you. want. Eat, drink, be merry!8. Exercise
You don't have to be a CrossFit professional to go out and pump some iron. When you get tired of exercising your eyes on Netflix, you can hit up your local gym or do a few laps around the neighborhood. Even couch potatoes begin to rot.
9. Contact friends and family
There's an awesome invention called a cell phone that enables you to keep in touch with your friends and family. You can utilize that nifty device to let them know that after all this time, you're still alive and hanging in there. I bet they'd like to see you now that you've ventured out of under your rock of obligations.10. Keep on keepin' on
For those of you with Type A personalities who are always looking for more, you can buckle down and begin your search for internships in the fall...
Or not.
