The summer before your freshman year of college is the perfect opportunity to pursue activities that will help you be better prepared for college.
Not sure exactly what types of activities you should consider? These few ideas will help you get started:
Get A Taste Of A Potential Future Career: Internships
Start by looking for internship opportunities in a field of study that you are planning on pursuing. Doing an internship before college takes you behind the glamorous façade of the role and gives you a first-hand look at the hard facts of working in that position. Most internships pay little or nothing but don’t think of that as a deterrent. The main goal of doing an internship should not be to earn an income. The idea is to get to know more about the career so you can make an informed decision about your choices.
If your internship helps you make up your mind that this is the right career for you, the job skills you would have gained will be an invaluable asset. And if, during the internship, you realize that this is not the right career for you, better now than later, right?
Speak To Professionals In The Field
It may not always be easy to find an internship opportunity in the exact field you are interested in. If your attempts to land an appropriate internship are not successful, the second-best way to get to know more about a career is to network with professionals who are already in the field. Even if they are not in a position to offer you an internship, most professions are more than willing to share their knowledge with motivated students.
Ask professionals relevant questions! You get useful information, including what the job entails, the pros and cons, what to study, and getting started. You can use this information to do a self-evaluation and decide whether or not this is the right career decision for you.
Take Up A Summer Job
Any money you earn and put towards your college funds will lower your student loan debt by that much. That is motivation enough for any student to sacrifice some fun times now and make better use of their free time earning an income.
Spend Time Volunteering
When you’re volunteering, you get back as much as you give. You may not be earning any money but by helping others, you develop several soft skills that help you grow and develop on a personal level. Volunteering, among other summer activities, hones your leadership skills, communication skills, and team-working skills among others. All of these are valuable skills to develop, as a student and also as a working professional.
Hone Your Skills The Summer Before College
The summer before your freshman year is also the perfect time to hone your current skills or learn new ones. If you play or want to learn a musical instrument, use the summer to enroll in an advanced or beginner program. Whether you want to reduce your timing on the running track or increase your javelin throwing distance, use this time to achieve all of those things that you never had time to do in high school.
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