Leaving college for the summer can be fun, but also a little scary. Throughout the year you’ve been surrounded by thousands of people simultaneously, including your best friends, acquaintances, and complete strangers. Now, a lot of people, including myself, will go back to my hometown. I’ll have to go back home, get a summer job, and take college courses online. Some will stay back and live in the apartment. They have to work continuously in the college town and take summer classes there. No matter what you do, you will always be preparing for that next semester, or next year at college. Here are some things you can do to make your summer a little more productive and even a little more fun.

1.Take a summer trip.

Now, this doesn’t have to be some big epic road trip (even though that would be ideal). It could be just a simple trip to see your friends from college, or even friends from your hometown.

2. Go to the beach at least once.

(You could also squeeze your road trip into this one.) There’s nothing like being close to the ocean and having your feet in the sand, even if the beach is Galveston or South Padre Island.

3.Get a part-time job.

I know a lot of people dread working, but if your parents are like mine, they don’t really want to pay for me to do extra things since they are helping me through college. This way, you can save up and maybe get to do some fun things when you’re back at school.

4.Take some courses online or at a JUCO.

Now, this one is the hardest one. You probably want to forget about school over the summer and not have to worry about it, but taking just one course over the summer could lighten your load the next semester. This could be the difference in you taking 12 hours instead of 15.

5. If you’re moving into an apartment for the next year, you might want to consider getting things together.

August will be back again before we know it, and you’ll want to have stuff to put into that apartment.

6. Start exercising.

This one might also be a little hard for some, but not for others. For those of you that have taken advantage of your school’s Rec Center, don’t quit just because you’re gone for the summer. There are numerous at home workouts you could do, or get a gym membership to keep it up. And for those of you who have yet to do so (me included), you should start. Exercising is a great stress-reliever and can help you in many ways.

7. Get into a habit of waking up at the same time every day.

Waking up at the same time every day can help your sleeping patterns and also help you stay focused.

8. And last, but not least, work on yourself.

This one is arguably the hardest one. You might see some things you want to change, or you might not. Try to be forgiving of yourself and others. Try to stay connected with yourself and be selfish every once in a while. We all deserve it.