Stuck at home over the summer with nothing to do?

Stuck at home with nothing to do over the summer? Don’t let your summer go to waste! Here are a couple suggestions to help you stay productive.

1. Volunteer with your local community! Lend a hand to someone who needs it! Volunteering is a great way to connect with people in your community and to become more familiar with the causes that matter to you
2. Learn a new skill! Think: all those things that you wanted to learn throughout the school year but never got to. These skills can serve as topics of discussion during interviews, but more importantly, they are an important part of developing yourself as a person.
   1. For lessons related to software development, design, business, web development and photography, check out lynda.com. Being a full time student at Cornell gives you full access.
   2. Develop your passions! What fills you with energy and makes you smile? Perhaps it’s painting, tree climbing, swimming or ventriloquism… summer is a great time to develop those skills.
   3. Learn a new language! Are there relatives that you’ve always wanted to communicate with more fluently? How about the language of that country that you’ve always wanted to visit? If you haven’t been taking courses at Cornell, and are intimidated by learning a language on your own, checkout language learning softwares/ apps online.
   4. More ideas include: picking up a new sport, a new instrument, learning to skateboard or making your own clothes! The sky’s the limit…
3. Work at a local business. In addition to equipping you with the skills to sell yourself and the service/products you represent, working in a café or in retail, for example, will help you to hone your communication and customer service skills. Future employers will likely look favorably upon these skills and experiences.
4. Read a good book! When was the last time that you picked up a book that you couldn’t put down? Grow your imagination, your vocab, your reading and writing skills, and stay updated with the world! Tip: the HECEC blog’s Book of the Month section (linked here) is a wonderful resource for finding great career-related books.
5. Edit your resume. What have you been up to in the last year that should be included for future employers to see? Do you have a running resume (a running, extended list of all your accomplishments, skills and activities for you to pick and choose from for future resumes)?
6. Get to know your personal heritage. Who are you? Where do you (and your family) come from, and how has this heritage shaped you and the way that you view/approach the world? Thinking about these things may be helpful for future personal statements or interviews. Remember, however, that the point of these reflections are to be honest with yourself and to understand who you are, not merely to impress your future employer/graduate school.
7. Get out of your comfort zone, try something new and stretch yourself! Plan a trip with your friends, train for a triathlon, or approach strangers and have deep (respectful/curious) conversations about your/their world-views. Stretching yourself means growth!
8. Reflect on the past year, how you’ve grown and where you aim to go in the future. What are you thankful for? What do you wish you had done better? What are your goals for the coming year?
9. Enjoy the outdoors and exercise! Healthy body, healthy mind. Sedentarism (habits and routines associated with low levels of movement) is a real cardiovascular health risk that most public health/medical experts in the US are concerned about. Think about all the time that you spent staring at your computer screen or reading your textbooks. This summer is the time to MOVE!
10. Rest! The academic year can be tiring (understatement of the century); relax, breathe, and give your body/mind/soul a break. Rest for what is up ahead! Get excited about the next school year (Or work year, seniors)!

Happy almost-summer!