If you are like me, your summer has not quite amounted to all you had hoped and expected. You were looking forward to catching up on sleep, hanging out with high school friends, and doing literally nothing. However, the slowness of these hot summer days and the major lack of a demanding schedule the school year had provided you with is a foreign concept to you. Perhaps this summer actually parallels with that trending Maroon 5 song whose title I would rather not repeat in print...

Anyway, flashback to the previous school year as a freshman: the long and grueling game of figuring out the college life. I learned how to juggle club meetings, all-nighter cram-study sessions, intramural games, community service, work, and even having something that resembles a social life. Additionally, some old friendships dwindled and new ones blossomed. During this past year I have never had so much fun in my life, but I have also never been under so much pressure. Although I learned a lot about myself -- and changed a lot as well – I quickly discovered I had also spread myself too thin. All I wanted/needed was a well-deserved summer break.

During finals week all I could think about was the pure joy that would envelop me after I got all of my finals out of the way. That whole week I had rarely seen the light of day because I spent the majority of it in the library studying my life away. It didn’t matter how much I was suffering though, because summer was near and I was ready for some fun in the sun with my friends and could not wait to relax and be with my family.

Well yay, whoopdyflippindoo, summer finally arrived and now what…? Not only am I extremely bored, but I am also annoyed with my parents and siblings and I am left wondering why they don’t realize I am now an adult, trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. Oh, and um, where are all my friends???

For some reason, I didn’t expect my summer at home to be so incredibly different from life on campus. For instance, during school there was always something to do and people to hang out with everyday -- and I assumed life at home would be the same. On the contrary, I feel like the most exciting thing that’s happened to me this summer is getting my paycheck every other week. Oh and don’t forget hanging with the ‘rents on weekends. That’s been one of my favorite pastimes lately, for sure.

O.K., I may exaggerate -- my summer has been a little more exciting than that, but what I am trying to say is that there was definitely something missing from it. Something a little -- or a lot -- off? Although getting away from campus and finally having a break from my busy schedule sounded absolutely amazing at first, I realized that the indentation of my butt on the couch in my living room isn’t all that impressive after all. Philosophically speaking: I don’t feel fulfilled watching TV all day long -- I’m not moving my life forward in any way.

This summer I didn’t need a break, I needed a breakthrough.

Therefore, after having this realization, I decided to make plans. To avoid the “summer slumps” again, I have been applying for internships and possible job opportunities for this coming school year and for next summer. I realized that success and opportunities don’t just get handed to you – you have to make them happen and work for it! If I think that sitting on my couch with my cat whilst binge-watching Netflix for hours on end will lead me to success then I surely will go nowhere in life.

So, I have learned this summer that summers as a college student are different because you are now an adult. You can’t depend on your mommy and daddy to do everything for you anymore. It’s called being independent. You now have to find the motivation for yourself to do something with your life, and it might just take a boring summer and some mediocre jobs to do that. Although I didn’t spend this summer interning for a big company or studying abroad in Spain, it doesn’t mean I am not a go-getter or a failure. This summer has motivated me to do bigger and better things next summer, and surprisingly I am thankful for that!

To conclude, I'll leave you with some advice -- advice I need to follow as well: Take charge of your own life and make things happen. YOLO, right? You are the only one who can turn things around for yourself and make yourself happy – don’t be dependent on others to make you happy. If you’re feeling doubtful or wishing you were somewhere else doing something else, step back and think of all the things you should be thankful for and how bright your future is. I know that my time will come, and so will yours. You just gotta work for it.