When hustling through the last few weeks of school, a person typically reaches summer with two different mindsets.
From one point of view, there is a full-stop mindset stemming from those late nights in the library.
Coming from being hunched over a computer screen trying to re-read a sentence.
The more you read it, the more it sounds like gibberish.
From this perspective, summer looks like a beach with a drink in your hand.
Alternately, there is the mindset of needing to work a full-time job, cross-train or plan your career.
While it may be tempting to throw all school out of your mind for the next three and a half months, setting aside time to re-evaluate what you have learned thus far is an integral part of not only attaining but maintaining usable knowledge and skills.
Try a few of these tactics over the summer to stay motivated for the next school year or jump into the real world.
Make notes of the main ideas or themes you learned in courses.
`Rewriting your notes reinforces the learning you obtained in class.
The University of New South Wales states, “Write a brief overall summary of the notes. Reflect on the learning process itself—what do you find confusing? How did you solve problems or clarify your understanding?”
Complete a summer course or training.
Get yourself closer to graduation or add a new life skill like CPR. Taking any class helps you to maintain beneficial skills of note taking, studying and time management.
Differentiate the clubs and extracurriculars that support your goals— join or drop.
Extracurriculars take time. Looking back, was it time well spent, or just time spent? With activities you enjoy, is it time to reach for a higher position?
Is it time to go from being a little to being a big? Look for activities that align with your values or challenge you to question why you have those values.
Reach out to people with whom you want to stay connected.
Be specific and direct. Conversations that start off with a vague text, “hey girl, how’s your summer going?”, or “miss you! <3”, tend to stay shallow and unproductive. Instead, plan a video call to discuss a specific club or activity.
Not only are you researching and preparing for next semester, but you are also doing it in a way that builds community and support for the future.
Revisit or recreate your goals for your education.
What goals did you reach this year? Do you need to reset some of your plans? Revisit your resume a few times a year so it’s not piling up and you’re left questioning what you did in the second grade.
Ok, maybe not the second grade, but looking back to freshman year when you’re a month away from graduation can be a daunting task.
Reflect on positive and negative self-development.
Looking into your own eyes can be one of the most difficult things to do, but that self-reflection can also be one of the most productive.
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” – Maya Angelou
Well, this turned into a list of my own goals and aspirations for the summer, but maybe one of you will find it helpful or come up with a list of your own. Summer break is a great tool to reset the healthy habits you once had at the beginning of the semester.
It’s coming. Are you ready?
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