Take Advantage of Your Summer

By Karen Rowe

It is only February, but summer will be here before you know it, and CPSI wants to make sure you make the most of it. Here are some ideas on how to spend your time:

Summer program opportunities: Go to your Student Portal, click Resources, and find a list of Summer Programs available. You can even sort by category!

Volunteer your time: Do you like working with animals? Do you have an interest in bettering the environment? Do you want to donate time working with young people or with those in a senior center? Do you want to tutor? Find something that motivates you to give back.

Get a part-time job: It feels good to get a paycheck, and why not show a college you can be responsible and take on leadership at the same time? Approach businesses in your local area well in advance of summer. If you wait until June, the opportunities may already be filled.

Take a class on a college campus: Do you want to get a feel for what it would be like to live on a college campus? Most colleges offer Pre-College Programs where students can stay in a residence hall and take a college-level course for a few weeks in the summer. Although this does not result in a student having an advantage to get in, it could give you an early glimpse into your future if you get accepted and enroll.

Explore an interest: You can explore thousands of interests online through programs like
www.coursera.org and www.mooc.org. These are free, self-paced courses where you can further an interest in a topic you may want to study in college.

Job shadow: Is there a profession you think you may want to pursue? Ask your parents, ask your friend’s parents, and ask your teachers if they know anyone you could shadow for a few weeks in the summer. You would be amazed at how many professionals enjoy showing young people what they do on a daily basis.

Do research: Connect with a professor at a local college and ask if they need research assistants. Reaching out to an adult via email is good practice for networking, too!

Connect an activity to your future college major: If you are interested in political science, connect with a local political campaign office to see how your skills could be useful. If you are interested in journalism, reach out to your local news source for ways to get involved. If you are interested in the medical field, contact your local hospitals for opportunities. If you are interested in engineering, try designing your own project. There are so many possibilities to learn more about your future major prior to enrolling.

Use your creativity: Create a podcast, sell a product on Etsy, create a YouTube Channel, or take a class at a Makerspace. Demonstrate your creative side and have fun while doing it!

Now is the time to plan your summer. Talk with your CPSI counselor for more information.