It’s not always easy to enjoy a college summer as you did during your elementary school years. There’s a lot more responsibility on your shoulders as a college student, and you might be planning on taking some courses to catch up, get ahead or stay on track.
With so much on your plate this summer, balancing it all can seem overwhelming. However, it’s definitely possible to get some coursework done without being miserable all season long. Taking classes doesn’t automatically mean you can’t enjoy your college summer!
The Key to Taking Summer Classes and Still Having a Great Summer
Much of the time you spend as a college student has to do with learning how to balance. This includes balancing everything from a bank account to your precious time.
You balance the calories you eat with the amount of physical activity you do (or maybe you don’t – your call), you balance the amount of sleep you get with the amount of coursework you have, and more.
Taking summer college courses is much the same – the key is balance. If you strike a balance between having fun, taking courses, and tending to other obligations you might have (like a job), you’ll be happy with the flow of your summer days.
Tips for Having a Fun (and Productive) College Summer
It may be a tempting thought to toss your student planner to the wind and never look back – and you will be able to after you graduate – just not quite yet. The secret to successful summers is planning, organizing and scheduling. More specifically, you’ll need to:
- Avoid procrastination
- Make small sacrifices for bigger gains
- Create a schedule for yourself
- Plan out leisure activities
You might want to consider really hammering out your college courses and taking them all at once to get them over with so that you can still have some summer left sans classwork.
Some students prefer it this way, and others prefer going at a slower, more relaxed pace throughout their entire summer, doing smaller amounts of work for a longer time. It’s up to you.
Avoid Procrastination
Some students find that the whole reason they need to take summer college courses in the first place is because of their habit of procrastinating. Others don’t make procrastination such a habit. Either way, summer is not the time to put things off, and in fact, it’s an ideal time to shift gears, buckle down, and really get things done.
This includes getting things done for college courses and anything else. (Remember that new summer workout routine you talked about starting?) Make a commitment to not procrastinate; you’ll be proud of yourself after accomplishing so much this summer!
Make Small Sacrifices Now for Bigger Gains Later
We admit this can be a challenging request! When many of us want something, we want it now, right? However, just like many other things, this way of thinking is a habit. The great thing about (bad) habits is that you can change them.
If you’ve got big plans this summer but also some coursework to do, you need to think ahead. Sacrifice the little outing with your friend on Friday so that you have the time for the road trip with them next month. The last thing you’ll want is to have to take your coursework with you on your trip to avoid falling behind!
Create a Summer Schedule for Yourself
Planning things out will give you a clearer picture of which obligations you’ll need to meet and when you will need to meet them in order to make time for fun summer activities. Set some summer goals and schedule those into your calendar!
Plan Out Leisure Activities, Too
Planning out the activities is also a good idea. This way, you’ll know how many days you need to keep free and, therefore, how many days you’ll need to work extra hard to make room for those fun days.
Staying organized and knowing what you’ll be doing each day can take a lot of stress off your plate, during the summer or any other season, for that matter. You work hard all year long in school, and just because you have college courses to take during the summer doesn’t mean you have to give up your fun if you plan it the right way!
