What Are You Doing This Summer?

Genna Apfel

As the spring semester quickly comes to an end, college students are eagerly awaiting their summer breaks. With the thought of going to the beaches and to pools as your island getaway and becoming a beach bum ( no I am not talking about the tanning salon), summer seems as if it cannot come soon enough. You get to relax with close friends, sleep in every day, or, maybe, even take exciting vacations, so why wouldn’t you love summer? Aside from all this fun, C.W. Post students are taking different perspectives on how they choose to spend their summer vacations.

For many students, summer is more than just fun in the sun. Internships at award-winning companies have become one of the many ways to enjoy your summer because you are having fun, while you are simultaneously working and gaining experience. Don’t worry; if you haven’t applied for any internships yet, summer is a perfect opportunity to start building your resume. Internships allow college students to increase their chances of being hired after graduation. And, although it is not too easy to find a job, the summer break is a great way to maximize your chances of networking with organizations and making yourself available.

This process can be less stressful, due to the fact that classes will be over and you can devote  all your hard work and energy to landing an internship. Jimmy Bare, a sophomore political science major and student ambassador, is patiently waiting to hear  back for an internship. Bare is trying to make this summer valuable, as be hopes to intern as an intelligence analyst for the office of naval intelligence in the Department of Defense. If students aren’t quite as prepared as Bare and don’t know where they want to intern, the counselors in the Co-op office in Kumble Hall can help them find internship opportunities.

The summer is also a great time to keep up with your academic activities and,  let’s just say, not have your brain go into hibernation mode. Summer classes are offered at C.W. Post with a variety of classes to choose from. Angela Calise, a sophomore pre-med biology major, is continuing her research at Friday Harbor Labs, a  marine biology field station, located in Washington state, and she is also continuing her duties as a resident assisant, an orientation leader, and a student ambassador.

You can also receive academic credit by taking your learning experience to a whole new world…literally. The study abroad program allows all C.W. Post students to explore their surroundings and is open for students who are beginning their  sophomore year and are approved by the department chair, as well as by the director of study abroad. So, the idea of researching tropical fish and marine life in Fiji, indulging your face into the best bowl of spaghetti and sauce in Italy, and laying your eyes on a koala bear in Australia, may become real experiences for you instead of just ideas. Other popular study abroad locations include China, Spain, India, Thailand, and Costa Rica. Patty Ury, a junior earth science education major, will be spending her summer in Australia. Ury says, “I have always been really interested in going to Australia. I chose to go there because I don’t know if I would actually go there on vacation.”

If you are a gym fanatic, the Pratt Recreation Center remains open during the summer. With a full size competition swimming pool, an indoor track, racquetball courts, a weight room, and a fitness studio, students can take advantage of the opportunities offered to get a healthy and fit body that you can show off this summer. Ashley Swilling graduated from the School of Education last year and hopes to make use of the gym this summer. Swilling says, “I am applying for my master’s and hope to continue my education next year, here at Post. Although I graduated, I have a membership at the Pratt Center, and I plan on coming every day.”

Whether you decide to intern, study abroad, attend the Pratt, or simply soak in the sun, the summer is drawing closer. You can make this summer unforgettable and try new and different things. So, before you start stressing yourselves out and making your class schedules for fall 2011, have you decided what you are doing this summer?