As each school year comes to a close, the excitement of summer inches closer. Even though 'technically' summer has already started, it's not too late to start planning what you wish to accomplish during Summer 2018. You may have a whole bucketlist full of things you want to check off before the school year rolls around, but some of you also may be clueless about what the summer heat will bring.

Personally, I have an internship three days a week and am trying to find a paying job on top of it. But just because I have a semblance of a schedule, doesn't mean that everything is set in stone for these 12 weeks. My bucket list loosely lists the ideas that I want to take adventures with my friends on the weekends, possibly hit the gym more than once a week, and try to learn to cook something other than pasta. (Oh, speaking of 'trying' to cook, I almost burned my apartment down last night in a smokey, yet successful, attempt in making grilled chicken for dinner).

But, everything is a learning process. I am going to learn to cook and learn to be more on my own than normal. During the school year, I can eat meals at my sorority house with no problem, hang out after class with my friends, and watch endless movies with my roommates.

But, this summer is all me. I have to learn to be by myself and create an experience that doesn't consist of me sitting in my room all day watching TV. I have to take the steps in order to what I want to do, and you should take these steps for yourself as well.

There are about 10 of my friends/sorority sisters that are up here for the whole summer too, and we all have the same goal: make summer school still fun. We are going to hang out by the pool, cook dinner, have fun wine nights all together laughing at the fact that we can't be tanning on the beach all summer long.

We are all on different paths for the summer, whether it is class, an internship, or just for fun, instead of everyone else that ventured away from the humid Tallahassee heat. I am super grateful that I do have an internship to give me a sense of being productive too, I just wish it was beachside. I am excited to start this new chapter and new experience, as I've either worked at a sleepaway camp or been a wide-eyed freshman taking classes for 6 weeks before my first semester.

This summer is about making choices for myself. I want to be able to say this was the best summer ever, and with a little help from my friends, recipies.com, and the amazing opportunity I have been given to be an intern, it is all possible. You may not relate to this at all, as you could be lounging by the pool on a cruise ship sailing through the Carribean, but you should still do whatever it takes to make Summer 2018 the best yet. I know that I will.