This post is all about things to do the summer before college!
High school is now out of the way and you’re about to head off to college! OMG! Where has the time gone? You’re officially an adult now…(kind of)
This summer will definitely feel like the longest summer ever. Especially if you’re counting down the days until you finally get to step foot on campus, and begin this new chapter in life.
Instead of sitting around anxiously waiting for the first day of college to come, why don’t we make a summer before college checklist, and make sure that we’re fully prepared for life as a college student!
These are the 10 things to do the summer before college so that you’re 100% ready for life on campus:
Things To Do The Summer Before College
1. Sign Up For Free Amazon Student Prime
During the first few months of my Freshman year, I had no idea that Amazon student prime existed, and missed out on so many discounts and perks that it offers!
One of the most amazing things about signing up for an Amazon student prime account is that you get FREE 2-DAY SHIPPING! Woohoo! And guess what, you get to save up to 90% off your student textbook rentals, which is honestly such a life-saver!
Trust me, I took FULL advantage of these two perks after signing up for my student prime, haha! Every semester, I rent textbooks from Amazon since it’s almost always cheaper than renting from campus bookstores.
Also, if your campus has a physical Amazon store on campus, you can literally just return your rentals at the end of the semester (without having to pack them up in a box or print out a shipping label), which is super convenient!
???? Sign up for your Amazon Student Prime 6-month Trial today and start saving money on textbooks, and enjoy FREE two-day shipping!
2. Get Your Dorm Essentials Ready
Moving into your college dorm is simultaneously exciting and lowkey stressful! Your mind is probably filled with thoughts about all the aesthetic dorm decor ideas that you want to try out, but also bombarded with questions like:
“Will I need to bring this towel? Will this air purifier take up too much space? Should I bring my own rice cooker?”, etc.
These are legit questions and concerns! But don’t worry, you have the whole summer to figure it out, haha. Here are 50+ must-have dorm room essentials that will definitely help you figure out what essentials are missing in your college packing list.
Also, make sure to not overpack. A lot of stuff can be bought after you settle into your dorm! (Take advantage of that free Amazon two-day shipping)
3. Start A Side-Hustle To Make Money
Ugh! One of the things I regret the most in college is not having had started a side-hustle before my freshman year. For example, starting a money-making blog so that I wouldn’t have to work at the craziest places to earn a minimum wage part-time income (The things I did for money ????)
Summer is THE perfect time to invest in yourself and start your own business online to help you generate income throughout your college career. Blogging doesn’t sound like a lucrative side hustle at first, but trust me, it is! There are bloggers earning $50k+ a month and even more. Crazy right??
As long as there’s an audience for it, you can start a blog about travel, gaming, makeup, fashion, food, literally anything!
And you have to whole four years to grow this business into something big so that you can literally make this your career after graduation.
???? Check out this Step by Step Beginners Guide On How To Start A Blog, where I show you everything you need to get started blogging today!
4. Learn How To Cook
Learning how to cook before heading off to college is honestly super important! Especially if you don’t plan on eating at the dining halls on campus. If you’ve never cooked a day in your life, I completely understand how daunting cooking can be. But honestly, it’s actually pretty easy and quite enjoyable!
If you’re more of a visual learner and need someone to guide you step by step, you can start practicing at home by watching YouTube tutorials or asking your parents to teach you.
✅ I highly recommend this 5 Ingredient College Cookbook by Pamela Elgen. You can check it out for FREE by signing up for Kindle Unlimited free trial, or an Audible 30-day free trial!
Before going to college, I didn’t learn how to cook because I thought I could just survive on Trader Joe’s frozen food section forever. And of course, I was wrong! Knowing how to cook saves you SO MUCH MONEY! And you get to save so much time since you can meal prep delicious recipes on your own.
5. Pick Up A New Language
Picking up a new language is so beneficial to your future. Not only does it help you meet and connect with more people, enhance your communication skills, expand your worldview, but also is a great skill to have on your resume!
When I first started learning Spanish, I used Duolingo, which I thought was helpful, but only to a certain extent honestly. For me, and actually most people, the fastest way to mastering a new language is through language immersion and conversations with native speakers.
If you were thrown into a country where the only language they speak is Arabic. Trust me, for survival purposes, you’ll be a fluent Arabic speaker in no time, haha!
That’s why I highly recommend learning a language during this summer before college by watching shows in that language, or using language learning apps like iTalki where you get to practice with native speakers from all over the world. ( I learned Spanish through iTalki with a Colombian teacher named Leidy, who I absolutely loved! And it was only $6 an hour)
???? Check out iTalki and take advantage of this summer before college to become fluent in a new language!
6. Connect With Your New Roommate
If you choose to let your school randomly assign you a roommate for your dorm, then definitely use this summer before school begins to get to know them!
When I was assigned a roommate my first year at USC, the first thing I did was reach out to her through email, then exchange Social media accounts and phone numbers. Turns out, we had a mutual friend, which was pretty cool!
So, to make your first meeting less awkward, make sure to message your future college roommate throughout the summer, ask them questions about moving in, their major, class schedule, etc. Here are 30+ questions to ask your college roommate you can check out to help brainstorm some questions to ask him/her.
7. Research Your Major and Career Options
College is the perfect time to explore your interests and figure out what you like and what you don’t like. And if you have time this summer before school starts, definitely begin the process of your academic/career exploration by researching different majors and career options!
However, don’t put too much pressure on yourself and feel like you NEED to decide on a specific career path before your freshman year. In the four years in college, you will get to take classes in all kinds of subjects that interest you. And who knows, maybe you might change your major a few times before finding the one that you love!
8. Tour The Campus
Do a self-guided campus tour before school starts! Make sure you know where each building is, how to get to the library, where the bathrooms are, and also where the financial aid and admissions offices are located!
The first day of school can get kind of overwhelming especially if your campus is insanely huge. You definitely don’t want to end up running late to class because you can’t find which building it’s located at (Happened to me because I was unprepared, yikes! Don’t be like me)
So once you find out which classes you will be taking the first semester, spend a day to familiarize yourself with the campus so that your first day of school will be much more stress-free.
9. Go On Rate My Professor
If you’ve never heard of Rate My Professor before, well, it will become your new best friend!
Basically, Rate My Professor is a site where students anonymously provide feedback and ratings on a professor’s teaching performance and courses. On the site, you simply just search up a professor’s full name, and you will be able to see their overall rating, as well as all the past comments that students have made about them.
I personally, never ever ever ever register for a college class without checking the professor’s reviews and ratings on Rate My Professor. IT’S AN ABSOLUTE MUST! Haha, and I’m not being dramatic at all. Especially if you really care about your grades and don’t want to end up in an extremely demanding and difficult class that might ruin your GPA.
10. Travel, Travel, Travel!
I know, some of you are probably thinking, traveling is so expensive! Why would I want to do that before heading off to college?
Hear me out. Travel doesn’t have to be expensive at all! And this is coming from someone who solo traveled from LA to Thailand, Vietnam, and China for more than two weeks and spent only $200 USD (excluding the plane tickets which were $700 ish in total)
And honestly, you could spend much less than me if you participate in work exchange programs like the many awesome ones that Worldpackers offer.
Traveling, even just in your own country, is such an eye-opening experience that you must try out before heading off to college. Meet amazing people, stay in cheap hostels, learn about new cultures and traditions, and fully immerse yourself in the present moment!
Things To Do The Summer Before College: Number One, Be Excited!
If you’re struggling to find things to do the summer before college, I hope this list has helped you add a few items to your “summer before college bucket list”.
College is probably going to be one of the most transformative and amazing 4 years of your life. So be excited and get ready to immerse yourself in the college experience.
Of course, being away from your family and having to stay up all night cramming for your finals can sound pretty scary at first. But trust me, it’ll get better. The first semester in college is almost always the most difficult since you’re still getting used to life on campus. But don’t worry, you’ll eventually find your groove.
Lastly, congratulations! Deciding to attend college is a commitment and an investment in your future. And I wish you the absolute best on this journey!
xoxo
