Summer is finally here. Put your school books away, turn off your alarm, and crawl back into bed. Summer is the time we all wait for each year. It is a time for relaxing, hanging with friends and celebrating all you've accomplished during the school year. But, inevitably, as we enjoy this time, we tend to waste it as well. Before we know it, the fall semester is creeping up on us, and we realize we haven't done what we meant to have accomplished during our time off.
So, here's a list of what to focus on this summer, so that you go back to school refreshed and ready to go.
Unless, you're in summer school. In that case, disregard and cry, because your life sucks...
1. Netflix
During the school year, we are all too busy to watch our favorite shows. Homework takes over our free time, and every minute you spend watching Netflix is another minute spent worrying about what you should be doing instead. But summer is different. You can devote your time to your favorite characters. Help Khaleesi train those dragons or help McSteamy/McDreamy/McWhoever with their patients (or other things).
2. Reading
I know. After staring at books with charts, graphs, and shit you have to memorize for your finals, reading seems to be the last thing on your mind. But, take the summer to remember that reading can be awesome. Choose one of your favorites, stretch out on your favorite beach chair and enjoy. For the summer I recommend an easy but fun read. Try "Girl on the Train," "Gone Girl" (and then enjoy Ben Affleck being Ben Affleck in the movie), or "Me Before You."
3. Hang With Friends
Whether you're home with your parents or still at school, summer is a time to do the fun things with your friends that you haven't had time to do all semester. Don't just catch a movie or grab lunch, but do something else that's different. Go for a hike, visit a new city, or take a day trip to the beach. Take advantage of the extra time you have to do whatever you want. Partying with friends is also a must since there is no terrible lecture to sit through while you are suffering through your hangover.
4. Get Fit!
College is infamous for making us gain weight. (The freshman 15, or in my case the freshman 40...) Now that summer is here though, you can take this time to procure the best beach bod. Run those laps, do those push-ups and lay off the dining hall pizza that you eat for at least two meals a day during the semester. Once you go back to school you will be back to your normal size, and you will be free to gain it all back again.
5. Save Cash
When we're in college, especially when aided by alcohol, we tend to be a little free with our cash. In my case, give me an open bar and I can spend money like I'm Kim Kardashian. Once we reach the summer months, our bank accounts are barely hanging on by a thread, and this is the perfect time to get that cash back. Get a part time job, babysit for neighbors, or maybe even just cut back on eating out. Living at home means free food. Take advantage while you still can.
6. Get Some Color
No one wants to go back to school looking like the ghost of Christmas past. That's not cute. Lay out in your yard, on your porch, or on the beach if you're lucky and tan for as long as your skin can take it. You have to make up for all the time you were stuck in the dimly lit library hunched over some textbook that you forgot the contents of directly after your last exam.
7. Sleep
Go home from school, bring your stuff inside and crawl into bed. It's the best feeling ever. The first time I came home for summer after my first year in college, I must have slept for a straight 16 hours. My mother thought I was comatose, but really, I was in pure bliss. We keep our bodies from so much needed sleep while we are in school, whether its from partying or studying. So give yourself what you really need and get some much needed shut eye.
Trust me, you won't be getting any once you start back in the fall.
