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Summer Break is just around the corner. With just 3 weeks of school left, students (myself included) are beginning to turn their focus from school to summer plans.  With that in mind, here is my checklist of things I want to do before I finish the school year.
1. Talk with my advisers and professors.
Summer Break is a great time to relax, catch some rays, and spend three months without having to worry about those 18,000 homework assignments that are due tomorrow at 5:00 a.m. Although summer is the largest break we have during our academic year, we need to be careful to maintain all the valuable knowledge we gained over the course of the year. I like to take some time towards the end of my year and talk with some of my professors and advisers about what I can do to stay on top of things for next year. The college of Liberal Arts and Sciences has a TON of advisers for every major and curriculum focus area, and they are all happy to help you stay on top of your education!
2. Meet up with my friends!

Photo Cr: flickr.comWho wouldn’t want to picnic here???

This time of year is always bittersweet for me. With the end of the year approaching, many of my friends will be graduating, leaving for prolonged family vacations or study abroad trips, or just going back home far, far away. It’s like move-in day, but instead I am saying a temporary goodbye to my college family. So how do I make this easy for me? Food! During the last month or so of the school year, I like to meet up with as many of my friends as possible and get lunch, go to one of the many cafés on campus, go out to Lake Ada Hayden for a picnic, or anything else that lets us hang out (and eat) before the end of finals.

3. Study, Study, Study!

Okay, the end of the year is not quite here yet, so we can’t completely lose our focus. There is only one week left before Dead Week. Now is the time to buckle down and hit the books. Remember that general rule of thumb you keep hearing from (it seems like) everyone on campus that you should spend “2 hours outside of class for every 1 hour you spend in class”? Unless you are an efficient studier, this should be your minimum for studying for finals. Another one of our bloggers Sarah wrote a great blog about how to prep for finals. Go check it out!

4. Get a “things-to-do over Summer Break” list started.

In case you haven’t noticed from all my blogs, I am a lover of lists. One of the things on my “things-to-do before Summer Break” list is to create a “things-to-do over Summer Break” list. Making a list of the major accomplishments I want to have by summer’s end helps me make sure I can do all the things I want to do, while also making sure I do all the things I need to do. This would be another great chance for you to go talk to your advisers, your professors, or Taren Crow over at the Liberal Arts and Sciences Career Services office in Carver Hall and see what they recommend you add to your list.

5. Finish off all your perishable food.

I live in the residence halls, and everyone who lives in one of the residence halls on campus knows that the Saturday after finals (**cough cough** May 9 **cough cough**) is the day by which you need to move out.

Photo Cr: eathealthytreats.com”Yes, Mom. I’m eating all my fruits and vegetables!”

If you’re like me, you like your fruits and vegetables, but you also like your ice cream, popsicles, and the other refrigerated foods. Unfortunately, I don’t have a cooler large enough to hold all my berries, apples, oranges, and ice cream. And I DEFINITELY don’t think my food could last outside the cooler for the long drive back home. So instead, I use these last few weeks to eat up all my perishable food, and share what I can’t eat with my friends. It’s another great excuse for me to coerce my friends into coming over (because who doesn’t love free food!?), and my parents are proud that I’m getting my daily servings of nutrition! (I may omit the actual amount of ice cream that I eat)

So there you have it. My “Things to do Before Summer Break” list. Hopefully you can take some of these items and add them to your own list. Just don’t forget to take the time and talk to those here at Iowa State who know what you need to do to stay ahead. And if you see me around campus, don’t be afraid to say hi or offer me some of that perishable food you need to get rid of!

Posted by: Michael Cox