#5 Things to do this summer
I remember, those lovely luscious summer holidays when I was a student. An endless summer, stretching out before me, where my only concern was where to go out that night rather than how many essays I needed to write.
Ah, summer. Now of course it’s every weekend that I live for, waiting for that Friday afternoon to get here so I can go out to play in the lovely sunshine, drink a beer (or two) and have a lie in. My only regret of course, is that it used to be months of sunshine and play time rather than two days sandwiched between never ending work.
But my friends, you are students. You have all the time in the world to go out and explore and do stuff. And you totally should. Here are DIGS top five things to tick off your ‘to do’ list this summer…
#1. Volunteering and working abroad.
There are loads of opportunities to go and work abroad and help people along the way. Organisations like Camp America take on 7500 new employees every year to work with kids (in America, obviously).
Visit http://www.goabroad.com/about for some summer work ideas. Everything is covered here, from studying abroad to working as a summer intern all over the planet. A great way to make new mates, work overseas and even improve on your children skills (it might come in handy one day).
#2. Go to a festival.
Ok, so this is an obvious one I know. No doubt many of you went to Glastonbury this year (jealous, much?) but I’m not talking about the festivals everyone else knows about. I’m talking about the awesome indie festivals that are held all over the country. Some of them are even free! You’ll find them dotted around all over if you look hard enough. From the free Sheffield festival ‘Tramlines’ to the awesome, more traditional festivals like Kendal Calling and Moor Music in the north. You should totally give it a go, and you never know, you could have been there the moment that new band hit the big time.
#3. Get some work experience.
Sounds boring right? While I’m trying not to sound too much like your mother, I can’t stress how important it is to finish your degree with at least SOME experience. Employers these days not only want you educated, but they also want you dripping with experience. Seems unfair, I know. And trust me, I’ve been there. My advice would be to volunteer somewhere that’s relevant to your degree a couple of days a week. It’ll build on your experience and it adds some oh so valuable credentials to add to your CV. You’ll be thanking yourself in no time when you land that dream job straight after graduation!
#4. Do something for charity.
Do something to boost yourself, others and your karma levels! There are so many events being held this summer, including 10k runs, charity bike rides, charity picnics and swimming missions. And of course you could simply volunteer for your local charity. They can always use the help!
For those of you that really don’t have time (your off to Camp America!) why not donate some of your old clothes, shoes, bits and bobs. You’ll not only be allowing your possessions a new lease of life, you’ll also be helping your local charities to raise some much needed cash.
#5. The Edinburgh Festival.
From comedy to films, this festival has a little something for everyone. One of my best summers was spent in Edinburgh enjoying ridiculous street acts and watching comedy at 5am having been out all night (I can’t guarantee that 5am comedy is the greatest. I remember it being awesome, but I had been out since the previous evening, fuelling myself on cider. I would have laughed at anything) in a grungy sticky club. The atmosphere here rocks, and it’s definitely something to get done. Be aware however, that it’s super popular, and as a result accommodation, drinks and food is expensive! There are plenty of hostels in this lovely Scottish city, so do some research and I’m sure you’ll find somewhere on budget. Of course you could spend the summer working in the beautiful Edinburgh; a great way to see numerous acts and get paid for it. Check out vacancies here.
Saying this, however, you may have other plans. Go back and spend the summer with your family (I guess someone needs to do your washing), see your old college buddies and catch up on all the gossip you’ve missed out on. Sleep. Eat. Work and earn as much money as possible so you can buy that new iPhone without causing yourself to starve during term time. Have a summer romance. Go camping. Or I guess you could just stay with us (we’d love to have you!).
The list is endless! So much possibility, so much excitement, so little time. I may just have to go back to uni…