It’s summer! It is beautiful and sunshine-y and full of beach days, ice cream cones and frolicking. You’ve finally gotten used to the routine of juggling friends, work, food and sleep (not necessarily in that order). You’ve buckled down and gotten familiar with the ebb and flow of summer stresses. But then, trouble strikes (insert loud, ominous thunder crack) as you look at the calendar. There is just a month and a half before classes start—less time, for some schools—and you have not even glanced at your summer to do list since the day you made it in a fit of finals procrastination. To help you through that shrinking-countdown-where-did-my-summer-go panic, here are the 7 “Stuffs” that absolutely MUST be sorted out before the inevitable return of school year stress.
1. Summer Ending Stuff
Go back to your Pinterest page filled with Summer Bucket Lists and make an effort to do every item you can before you run out of time. Kayak, swim, have a campfire. Fit it all in before you get flooded with the inevitable stress of going back to getting educated.
2. Friend Stuff
While you’re at it, throw a party for your hometown friends to say goodbye. Who knows where you will all be next summer. Get a group together and make the trek down to the beach. Or to an amusement park. Or to your backyard. You could even invite your school friends and watch your two worlds collide in one big blow-out bash!
3. Workout Stuff
This is your last chance to get ahead of dining hall food. If you start working out now, you’ll be in great shape for when you are surrounded by buffet lines and endless dessert. Going back to the gym is going to be a b*tch anyway, so why not make it easier on yourself? The first two weeks of exercising are the hardest, but once you get into the routine it is *almost* not bad. So try to get some abs to go with that tan you’ve worked all summer for! Or at least get used to the idea of walking everywhere again.
4. Dorm Stuff
Now here comes the fun part: figuring out your rooming situation. Got a new roommate? Contact them! Figure out what stuff they have and what stuff you need. Same roommate as last year or in a single? Redecorate! Throw out the worn down and coffee-covered rug from last year and pick out something new. Pinterest is the best friend of decorating. Use it wisely.
5. Scholastic Stuff
Now is the time to start trying to sell off the hundreds of dollars of books you have from last year. Other students will be searching for the books they need at a discount, so post on your school’s Facebook page and tag the classes the books are for. While you are at it, look for students selling their old books for your upcoming classes. Do some research on what you need and what you can do to prepare yourself for each of your classes.
6. Financial Stuff
Even less fun than book shopping is the financial side. Check on your FAFSA, meal plan and health care policy. It may not be as glorious as a beach day or dorm shopping, but it is extremely important. You don’t want to get halfway through the semester only to realize you are on the school health care plan as well as your dad’s (and fiscally responsible for both).
7. Job Stuff
Don’t be the slacker that shows up on campus expecting to walk in to the perfect work study. Take the time and do the job hunt now so you can get started right away when you get to school. You don’t want to have to end up with the worst shift in the dining hall farthest from your dorm (or with no job at all) because you put this off.
So there you have it. The glamorous and unglamorous list of to-dos before you get to pull back up to your dorm with the car full of furniture and a mother in tears. It may seem like a long time, but going back to school is only a little over a month away. It’s time to get crackin’.
