9 Easy Tips to Help Avoid the Summer Slide

By Darius Lana

Updated: 1/24/2021 

If you’re like most people, once school is out for the summer, you avoid all contact with it until fall. No visiting campus, no logging onto the school website and the only time you pull out a textbook is when you’re trying to prop up your iPad in bed to watch “Chamber of Secrets” for the fifth time. 

We stay out late, avoid waking up early, and try to nap often. It’s a great plan, until school starts and you realize you forgot how to learn.

To avoid this summer slide feeling, I’ve put together nine ways to learn effortlessly.

1. Travel. A Lot.

The summer is a great time to travel, and there are easy ways to add in a learning experience while you do it. If you have the budget, a study abroad program will allow you to have fun learning about a new culture, language, and topic. In many cases, there’s room for college credit. 

You can get the top 50 study abroad program rankings from U.S. News & World Report here.

Also, short field trips can be fun and educational. Get the summer started while creating learning opportunities by: 

• Hiking in your local or state park
• Visit a natural spring
• Take a day trip to a new city
• Learn about the unique wildlife in your area
• Try new foods
• Create a scavenger hunt with friends 

They even have a sleepaway summer camp for adults — check these out.

2. Intern to Learn.

Step outside of the classroom and into the world you could find yourself in, in a few years. Interning can be a great summer learning experience. 

Find out firsthand about your desired industry or explore a new one. Here’s a list of the Top 50 internships.

3. Game Night.

If you’re competitive, a game night could be your thing. Monopoly, Cranium, Cards Against Humanity, Apples to Apples, and Trivial Pursuit can help flex the brain muscles and avoid the summer slide. If you don’t own any board games, trivia is often happening at local restaurants and bars. And of course, there’s always an app for that – game apps.

4. Take an Online Class. But Only If You Want.

It’s honestly one of the best ways to learn. And it doesn’t have to be school-related. There are several types of classes you can take to improve skills or develop new ones. Learn how to play guitar, shoot photography, cook, or write code. YouTube channels and Udemy classes are some of the best sources for mass online learning opportunities.

5. Start a Vlog

A lot is going on in the world right now. Blogs and vlogs are great ways to educate others on current events. Or it can be a great way to escape current events. 

There are many topics — travel, politics, education, fashion, hair and makeup, animals, technology, adult beverages, and cooking. Do some research, explore fun discussions, and say what’s on your mind!

Here are some popular vlogs to inspire your start.

6. Netflix and Learn

There are many documentaries on Netflix that are worth your binge-watching time. Once you finish watching the new season of “Orange Is the New Black,” you should check out the many educational documentaries available. Here are the top 50 from Paste Magazine.

7. Get Involved

Volunteering or working with an organization in your desired industry will help keep the summer slide at bay. It’s a great way to stay active and help build connections when looking for a job—# Networkingiskey. 

Plus, there’s always the feel-good part of helping others.

8. Hang Out with TED

Listen to TED Talks — These are informative speeches captured on camera and delivered by world leaders and industry experts. 

This one by Sir Ken Robinson about education is my favorite, but there’s something for everyone. www.Ted.com. 

9. Get Your Hands Dirty

Plant a Vegetable Garden — Learn about the different vegetables, when they’re ready to harvest, and what’s best to plant in your area. 

There’s a new way to farm that is gaining popularity called Fleet Farming. It might be a fun idea to try out.

What Do You Think?

Just trying one or all of these ideas can help avoid the “where did all my smarts go?” feeling in the fall. But honestly, all these would be fun year-round. 

Do you have any other ideas? I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a comment below or on social — let’s chat. 

3 Hacks to Build Your Professional Network Before Graduation

New year, new network. If you’re like most students, outside of the basics like interning and joining student organizations, there’s just not enough time to dedicate to developing the networking craft. You might have jobs, friends, class, and that new Netflix show all pulling at you for your attention. Maybe you even know that you should spend more time meeting new people in our industry and building beneficial relationships, but you’re too busy; thinking about life after graduation can be a luxury.

But with more qualified candidates looking to enter the workforce each semester, time spent networking could be the difference between finding the work you’re most passionate about or settling for what’s available. To help you build the relationships that get you that desired future position, I’ve put together three networking hacks that will work with your busy schedule.

1. Become an Internet Sleuth

Social media can be your gateway to a professional opportunity. You can start with LinkedIn; according to a Statista report, there are more than 106 million active users on the platform. You can find an industry influencer in your area easily. 

But instead of reaching out right away, you must first research their passions and areas of expertise. Start by asking yourself the following:

• Do they have a blog or a personal website?
• What organizations are they part of?
• What’s the last article they shared?

The questions below could help focus your networking efforts and start a meaningful conversation.

2. Network Wherever You Are

An article by the Wall Street Journal states 80% of all available jobs aren’t listed publicly. It’s more likely that your post-graduation gig will come from the occasional random stranger or friend-of-a-friend who knows someone in your field before it comes from a blindly filled-out online job posting.

Because of your schedule, you may not always find yourself at an industry luncheon or internship fair. So it’s essential to network with those from many industries when given the opportunity, like a football tailgate. Be prepared for these interactions. They come quickly and without notice.

3. Win Every Conversation

The art of conversation can take you far places. When amid a networking event, you should make it a goal to make a great first impression with as many individuals as possible. This tip is often overlooked by most — or over-analyzed. Here’s a few tips on how to be memorable as you are working the room:

• Give compliments—these encourage conversation.
• Be inclusive: if you’re standing in a circle of people, take notice if someone is trying to join in. Then take a half-step backward to open the ring up.
• Prepare a seven-to-nine-second introduction about yourself.
• Learn these four little magic words: “And how about you?”
• When in doubt, talk about food.

No matter what, though, don’t force it. Be yourself; be genuine.

4. Play the Student Card to Employers

Remember this: you’re a student, which means that when you’re reaching out, it’s not necessarily for a job, but to learn and gain first-hand experience. This reality makes you automatically more approachable to companies, top executives, and professors than anyone that graduated six months ago and is still frantically job hunting.

Play the student card to your advantage. Ask for an informational interview or spend a day in the office — or telecommuting — to shadow the person who has your dream job. 

The truth is a day, week, or month can be more comfortable for a company to accommodate than a semester-long internship. You can also take advantage of days that you have off that companies may not receive, such as:

• Long weekends
• MLK Day
• Presidents’ Day
• Spring Break
• Summer break

These next-level hacks can give you the advantage you seek during the job hunt when paired with the networking basics. It’s also a good measure to ask for business cards or LinkedIn connections and follow-up with your contact monthly. 

Cheers to your job hunt. If you land that big gig with these tips, let me know! 

Sources:

Most famous social network sites worldwide as of September 2016, ranked by number of active users (in millions) (2016) by Statista (Report)

Take Your Search for a Job Offline (2013) by Dennis Nishi (Article)

19 Tips To Impress Literally Everyone You Meet (2014) by Carolyn Kylstra (Article)

Take Your Search for a Job Offline (2013) by Dennis Nishi (Article)