I felt like I stood on the top of the world when I finished high school. Feeling good about the way things ended, I looked forward to the next few months of rest and was excited for the future to come. With the nerves of changing life chapters, the summer before starting college can manifest itself as stressful but should not.
Need structure after high school graduation? Here are 7 ways to do that before starting college.
1. Reflect
Take this time to celebrate yourself. You’ve come a long way since your freshman year of high school and you’re about to experience even further growth in the years to come. Think about the ups and downs of the past four years and how you think you can maintain what you want to maintain.
2. Create healthy habits
You know yourself best. Personally, exercising helps me feel mentally and physically good. Make a habit of practicing destressing methods. Working out, meditating and having a creative outlet are a few examples. Healthy habits extend to eating and sleeping patterns as well. Implementing behaviors that work well to create your ideal lifestyle before starting college eases your transition and allows you to focus on the other change in your life.
3. Plan
If you’re moving out of your home into a dorm or an apartment, you’ll need a lot. Figure out what you can bring from home and what you need to purchase. Research the specifics of the place you’re moving to. With enough advance execution, moving will run much more smoothly than with no planning.
4. Relax
You deserve it! Graduating high school is a great feat. Whether you lay out in the sun, binging a new show on Netflix or reading the books that have been on your list for way too long, give yourself multiple chances to soak it all in before starting classes again. I read some books the summer before starting college that made it onto my favorites list.
5. Spend time with loved ones
This summer is one of the last times you’ll find all your friends and family in the same place at the same time, so make use of it. Become a tourist in your own city by visiting all the classic attractions that take up too much time during a high school weekend. Create memories that you can hold onto when you’re missing these people in a few months.
6. Do something enriching
Work, volunteer, travel or do something else that makes your summer fulfilling. Fill your summer with interacting with other people, giving back to your local community and gaining knowledge about the world. Your college classes and experiences will teach you a lot, but you can also grow through your experiences before even starting. Before starting college, I traveled abroad with my family. Not only did we see beautiful sights and learn history, but we all spent time together enjoying the trip and each other’s company. I also volunteered at a program for rising high school seniors with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. I completed this program one year earlier, so the ability to give back and help the next generation of students was very rewarding.
7. Enjoy yourself and get excited!
The summer between high school and college is a piece of your chapter that is entirely up to your creative hand. Leave the high school drama in the past and start manifesting your ideal future. Allow yourself to recover from the past few years and properly prepare for the future with experiences that leave you feeling happy. Fill this exciting summer with the things that allow you to enjoy your time and start college with a fresh and exciting perspective.
