A Productive, Relaxing Summer
By Lauren Beizer
FINALLY, WE MADE IT!!! The end of the semester is here and finals begin next week. Every student at Villanova right now is probably in the midst of studying for finals and making their plans to return home and move out of campus. After this completely unprecedented school year, everyone should be so proud of themselves for making it through these crazy circumstances. I know I am proud of myself and all my other peers for making it through this year.
Students often feel very stressed out about their taxing finals as well as their summer plans. Once finals are over, many students begin summer jobs or internships and the competition is on. College-aged adults are constantly comparing their summer opportunities in order to deem one better than another. The reality of this is that it really does not matter what you do this summer. The world has been on pause and in a constant state of craziness ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began. While it may seem that there is constantly societal pressure on young adults to be as productive as possible, it is totally fine if you take this upcoming summer off to just spend time on yourself and/or with your family.
Sure, having a professional internship or job is great (and you will probably end up earning some money for college while doing it!), but it is truly not something to regularly stress about. Summers during college are opportunities in and of themselves to do a professional activity or two, or to just simply relax. The best thing about these four open months is having the ability to do literally anything. For example, working out, taking a class, reading, drawing, working, and even just catching up on a semester’s worth of sleep are all great options to consider during this time.
Especially with everything happening in the last year in our nation, it is important to have some time of self-reflection and relaxation. People can educate themselves on social injustices and on the current pandemic, and then adequately process this information. We can really make an effort in the summer to take care of ourselves as well, as many peoples’ mental health has struggled significantly over the last year. This can look like going on frequent walks this summer, reading books, sleeping a lot, or any other form of exercise and self-care that feels most comfortable to you.
During the semesters in the fall and spring, we are constantly rushing and running around to be as successful as possible as students at Villanova can be. The summer is a time we are granted to do what is best for us. We have to take advantage of this time and strive to get the most out of it as possible, before we return right back to school in the fall. I hope everyone reading this has a fantastic summer and takes advantage of this free time that we have coming to us in just a few short weeks.
