Summer is quickly approaching, and that means a wide variety of activities are open. People take their summer vacations very seriously, having fun or using the two months to work on their academics. I will be listing a couple of activities people can do during the summer, whether those activities are on the academic side or the fun side.

Many people often go the fun route, where they spend their entire summer having fun. This results in a memorable summer where they spend their time making many memories.

One of the first activities that many people do is hang out with friends. In the regular school year, hanging out with friends can be limited due to extracurricular activities. However, now that the daily seven hours of school are gone, it opens a person’s schedule. You are able to spend more time and make more memories with your friends. Some activities to do include going to the pool or the beach, hanging out at someone’s house, going to ice skating rinks, or going to an amusement park.

“I like to hangout with friends because it lets me create memories with them,” said freshman Jimmy Guo.

Another activity that you can do is travel out-of-state or out-of-country. This may be visiting your home country or visiting a new country or state. By traveling, you can view the culture in these different places and see views that you might not be able to regularly see. If you travel back to your home country, you can meet old relatives or friends that you originally made.

“I like to travel because I can go to new places and go back to India because it’s my home country,” said freshman Arnav Mohanty.

Last but not least, a fun activity that you can do during the summer is go shopping. Whether this be with friends, family, or by yourself, shopping is something that anyone can do. Shopping is also a rather relaxing activity, as you are able to reflect on yourself and what you want to do in the short or long term future. Shopping, especially for clothes, is a great way to remodel yourself to who you want to be, as you can pick clothes and shoes that you would like to wear.

Many students going into the next school year typically balance both fun and academic activities. Academic activities are just as important, as too much of either one can cause someone to be tired from it.

An academic activity that someone can do is to gather hours of volunteering. Now that student schedules have opened, students can volunteer for many things and increase their hours to meet service requirements for colleges. It is recommended that you volunteer for programs that fit what you want to pursue, as it shows colleges what you want to achieve.

Another academic activity that someone can do is starting a nonprofit organization or a science project. A nonprofit organization, such as a research institute or nonprofit charity is hard to accomplish, but with the right resources, students are able to pull it off. A science project is also hard to accomplish, but with time, the project can be easily accomplished. Both of these activities are great to show colleges, as they understand that you have the capabilities to achieve great things if you set your mind to it.

Last but not least, another academic activity that people can do is to go to summer school or focus on next year’s workload. Summer has a long duration and each second is very valuable. Previewing the subjects that you will be taking next year is very important, and never should be taken lightly. It helps give a boost in finishing work, comprehending assignments, and freeing up space in your schedule for the following school year.

Summer is a time where students either take their time to do fun things or stay true to their academic studies. However, a balance is needed, and with these activities, a balance can be truly made.

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