Q: Dear Anna, I’m not staying on campus during May Term. What should I do with my extra month of summer?
A: May Term is a great time to get an extra class under your belt in a short period of time, but to be honest, campus is pretty dead during the month of May. Most students will be packing their bags and going back home for the summer, so you’re not alone in that.
The number-one thing that you could be doing with your time is making money. If you don’t want to spend $500 on a class, why not try making $500 instead?
Try to pick up a job in the area you’ll be staying for the summer. You’ll have an upper hand in finding one because you’ll be beating all of the high school and college kids to the applications, and soon, you’ll be making bank.
If you’re still hankering for an educational experience, use some of the money you make during May to fund an exploration of your own. Take yourself to a different city and learn about its history, fund a weekend-long camping trip – heck, buy yourself a ticket to go skydiving. If you’re going to be making money instead of spending the month in class, you might as well have a good time with it.
Going back home? Why not give your parents the incredible gift of child labor? Spend some time with them in the garden, work on the family car or help with the latest house project. You’ll get huge brownie points with the rents, and maybe they’ll feel inclined to give you some extra spending money for your efforts.
No matter how you slice it, you have plenty of options to keep yourself active and entertained while you aren’t taking a May Term class. So, whether you pick up a job, spend the month doing all of the activities you missed out on over the course of the school year or simply spend some quality time with your family, you’re sure to have a fun-filled May, even if you aren’t spending it on campus. Enjoy your time off – before you know it, fall semester will be right around the corner.