For College Students: 5 Ways to Utilize your Summer Break

Are you still wondering to find ways to utilize your summer break efficiently? After a year full of hectic classes, studies, assignments, practical’s, and fest, summer break is finally the time which all college students await eagerly. Throughout the year the one thing that gives us constant happiness is planning what to do in our summer breaks. Some people opt for educational tours, some spend time with family, some sharpen up their skills, follow their hobbies and interest and some of the college students start career planning and take up classes for GATE , ESE (IES) and other competitive examinations whichever they think is best suitable for them.

While summer break no doubt is a time for fun, enjoyment, and a break from the hectic college life, it is extremely necessary that the summer break is utilized to the fullest. Right from your summer break in the first year to the last year everything should be well planned and aimed towards achieving your destined goal after the final year. The summer break after the third year is generally spent doing some industrial training in the company of your choice.

During the industrial training or Internship, you must try to apply in companies that are niche to your branch and which you think will help you later in building your career. Today we want to discuss a similar topic and share with you 5 ways in which every college student can utilize her/his summer break time to the fullest.

We all have some aspirations that we talk out loud and some that we keep to ourselves. Well keeping all that in mind let us talk about 5 ways in which college students can utilize their summer break.

1. Internship:

After the third year, it is necessary for all engineers to go for an internship in order to get hands-on experience of the industrial setup and get their theoretical knowledge into practice. Well if you are really interested in a particular subject that you are studying you can actually apply for internships right after your first year also. This will help you learn more about the subject as you will now have a good idea about how all the formulae and theory you studied are applied into practice. These are the types of internships that you can apply for depending on your area of interest.

• Industrial training: Take what you learned in the classroom and apply your knowledge in the industry. Even if the internship does not offer a stipend or salary for college students, a summer internship is a great way to learn more about a business or industry and gain practical work experience which you can later add to your resume.  Before your summer breaks actually begin you can apply to various companies that specialize in your particular branch and gain industrial experience by working with their professionals who have years of experience. These Industrial training will not only help you understand your subjects better but also be a plus point when you sit for placements in the final year. An experience of the industry beforehand will give you an edge over all your other fellow competitors. There are also times when the companies you do your internship in offer you a full-time job after graduation.
• Earn Money: You can also look for a paid internship to acquire transferable skills, such as communication, organization, time management, and administrative skills. You must try to look for opportunities that are inclined with your graduation branch or your career path. Such jobs help you become independent and you can actually save the money you earn to invest later on yourself by planning a trip, buying a new gadget or book, or visiting any place of your choice.
• Research: While industrial training is a common thing that every student looks for you can also apply to universities during your summer break for research related If you are interested in testing and experimentation research is the best option for you during the summer break. You just start looking for opportunities to work in a lab, do hands-on fieldwork in your industry, study new public policy issues, or connect with any professor from a good college who may be delighted to work with you on your research project. You can also take help from your college professors in this regard by asking them to help you find a research program for the summer break.

2. Develop new skills: 

It is never too late to learn something new or develop a new interest or hobbies for college students. So this summer break you can also try to develop a new skill. We all sometimes or the other have thought of picking up a particular skill but are scared of not being good enough at it and so dropped the idea. Well in this summer break try to pick up that skill and learn everything about it full-heartedly. You may not become a master so soon but practice my friend makes a man perfect. So some new skills that you can acquire are:

• Running: If you are an athlete then this section may not be for you, but for others running is a great skill to have. So whenever your summer break starts, wake up early morning and go for a walk, you can also try running for small breaks as and when you feel like it. At first, it may seem tiresome and useless but as time goes on you will start loving running. The best part of developing this skill is along with acquiring a new hobby you actually become fit and fight all the health issues you may be facing earlier.
• Reading: Lots of college students are afraid of reading and they feel like it is no fun activity for students to switch from college books to novels during the summer. Well for all those college students, try to pick up a new book this summer and promise yourself to complete at least one book. Make sure you choose your first book wisely. After you are done with that book reward yourself and you will realize what fun it is to read a novel and develop the habit of reading. Reading is one of the hobbies for college students which never lets you get bored and once you develop this hobby, you have a constant friend around you to talk to and that is ‘your book’. So get a head start on your reading list, if available, or make an effort to read a book in a field you’re interested in studying. Summer is also a great time to pick up a book just for fun that you may not have read during college due to your busy schedule.
• Visit new places: Visiting new places is not only a fun activity for students but also broadens your horizon as you meet new people and explore new places and cultures. So going for a vacation is also a great idea during the summer break. Plan a holiday with your family and explore the entire city on your own. If you cannot afford to visit any other place, then have a staycation. Visit your own place as a tourist. Try to take a walking tour of your city and learn about all the secret gems and historical landmarks you may have missed to appreciate earlier. There is nothing as beautiful as catching a sunset in the evening with your loved ones and lying out and looking at the stars. So try spending an evening stargazing or try geocaching with friends for a fun outdoor adventure. Summer is also the perfect time for camping. So grab your friends, pitch a tent or rent a cabin, and get in touch with nature
• New language: We have been used to using only the language that we deem are necessary for our survival like Hindi, English, and our native language. Learning a new language is always a fun activity for students. No matter how fluent you are in any of your native languages, for a new language you have to start right from the basics and make your way to truly understand and be fluent in the language. Language learning is a difficult task but it is fun to challenge yourself during the summer break. This new language can come in handy if you apply for post-graduation outside India or if you travel to a place where the language is used. So pick up a language which is more common in many countries and start learning.
• Online courses: In this digital age the internet is flooded with courses available both free and paid for college students. Pick one of these courses and learn something that is new, exciting, and of interest to you. However, if you are weak in your studies you can also try to enroll in an online course of your graduation and get a better understanding of the subject. You can also enroll in a career or professional development workshop that will help you plan your future and provide you a pathway to a bright and beautiful tomorrow.

3. Polish your skills:

In case you are not in the mood of trying your hands on something new, start polishing your skills. We all have some talent which we know we are good at but due to our busy schedules and daily classes, we are not able to pay much attention to it. So in the summer breaks, you can actually refine your skills by maybe joining some online classes, reading about it, going on an educational tour, meeting people, or revising your old habits.

• Educational tour: Educational tour is a great way of learning as they are custom-made to provide you all the necessary information. So you can plan an educational tour with your friends or maybe alone. It will give you a chance to learn so much more than you knew and also meet other people of similar interests. These tours not only help in building up your personality but will also help you later in life when you have to give interviews for jobs.
• Hobbies and interests: We all have hobbies of drawing, reading, writing, and playing which we somehow keep procrastinating due to our busy schedule. So summer break is the time when you can actually bring back your old memories and spend time working on your hobbies and your areas of interest. You can also join a club or a group of people with similar interests as this will give you a better push to take up any of the hobbies for college students.

4. Explore a career:

Most of the college students after they enter college also are not aware of what career opportunity they wish to grab and what their future has in store for them. They are just leading their life one day at a time without worrying about the future. Well though that is a great way to live but you must have some clarity on what you want from life after graduation. Do you want a job, prepare for an exam or go on for further studies? Summer break is a good time to ponder over all these thoughts as you have a lot of time to search, think and come to a conclusion.

• Join LIVE/Online General Studies batch for SSC-JE and State Engineering: For all the college students who are sure which exam they want to apply for after their graduation, can actually join summer courses to give their studies a kick start. For those who want to prepare for the SSC-JE and State Engineering examination, they can join MADE EASY’s LIVE/Online General Studies batch for SSC-JE and State Engineering. It is an opportunity for all the students to study from MADE EASY’s best faculty and get the perfect guidance for the examination. The course is for 3 Months and for a total duration of approx. 250 hrs. where the students will be taught by the best faculty of MADE EASY.
• Start a business: For all the students who plan on doing business, you can actually start a business of your own for the summer break. This will give you an idea of how to manage your finances and help you later in life when you start your own business. For the ones who are not planning a business, they should too try this. You can actually start by working freelance, writing blogs, or maybe selling something that you feel is of need to the people.

5. Rejuvenate:

The one thing which is a compulsion for all college students during summer break is refreshing and rejuvenating yourself. College time can be hectic and takes a toll on your health, body, and also your energy. So take the summer break to bring yourself back to shape and rekindle yourself. This can be done in various ways like running, exercising, reading, vacation, education tour, planning your future, and many more. It is extremely necessary that when you get back to college you have all your energy back to face the semester classes and exams once again. Therefore, summer holidays are for fun activities for students, so enjoy before the time flies.

Summer break is right around the corner so start making your list of what you want to do. It is the only time in your college life when you actually get time totally free to actually pursue what you want.  We have given you a list of the five best things you must do but now the choice is yours. No matter what you choose always remember that this summer break can actually be a turning point in your life so instead of just lying around pick up something you are found of and make each day count.

In case you have any more queries please write to us. All the Best for your future and have an amazing summer break.

FAQs

1. Is summer break a good time to start preparing for competitive exams?

Ans. Yes, ideally the summer break is the best time to invest in your preparation for competitive exams as during that time you do not have to get to college regularly and can easily enroll yourself in a short-term course. That will not only help you prepare for competitive exams but will also help you in your regular studies.

2. Where can I find details regarding various short-term courses that I can enroll in?

Ans. You can visit www.madeeasy.in for a list of available courses.

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