The 9 biggest student summer blunders
It is easy to end up filling your long summer days with, er, not a lot… here’s how to avoid summer’s biggest pitfalls
The BIG myth about summer is that it’s full of meaningful, dreamy moments and you never want it to end.
If I’m brutally honest about my student summers they sometimes dragged on and on and felt full of, like, um, a lot of nothing.
The summers that worked the best for me were the ones I planned in advance, earned cash AND gained skills.
Here are the 9 summer mistakes I learnt from… before, during and straight after uni.
Social Media Manager Matthew Doughty studied philosophy at university, and wasted several vacations until he learnt how to avoid the #SummerFail
Blunder #1) Going cold turkey on learning…
Exams are over, you’re free as a bird and your mind is… A BIG BLANK punctuated by occasional kitten videos.
Keep your brain cells active with online courses in stuff that’s incredible but you’ve never had the time to explore.
Fancy learning a little Italian?
Want to know more about how mindfulness is a sanity saver?
https://www.futurelearn.com/ has 100s of courses to keep your brain ticking over the summer months.
Blunder #2) Sticking to the plan
Summer is ALL ABOUT going off course. UoN students have access to Lynda.com with 100s of online courses that have absolutely nothing to do with your current studies. Refresh your mind with guidance on everything, from writing killer song lyrics to editing the perfect holiday video.
We recommend:
Becoming a Small Business Owner: https://www.lynda.com/learning-paths/Business/become-a-small-business-owner
Becoming a Video Editor: https://www.lynda.com/learning-paths/Video/become-a-video-editor
Current UoN students get free access to Lynda, so it is a great place to start!
Blunder #3) Totally ignoring the future
Think tactically: browse through job descriptions for roles that you might be looking at in the future. See what skills are required. Taking online courses in these weird and wonderful areas over the summer can boost your employability (see #blunder 2 above).
Blunder #4) Totally ignoring the future some more
Fit short internships and work experience into the long summer months, in between paid employment. Current students can chat to our Changemaker team to find out what might be available.
It’s good to focus on both larger and smaller companies when searching for work experience; they both offer different benefits and drawbacks.
If you work in a large company the benefits may be recognition on your CV, as well as a view of the workings of a large business, which can be an eyeopening experience! On the other hand, as an intern you may end up with less interesting tasks, “grunt work” or the classic “Making the tea”.
Blunder #5) Putting off that LinkedIn profile
If you’re a current UoN student events such as Graduate Launchpad and the UoN KPMG careers event could kick-start of your professional network. Work on your LinkedIn profile, follow your future dream employers on LinkedIn, add links within your profile to your work online.
Blunder #6) Thinking no one will read your blog
Summer 2018 is the perfect time to start a blog… showcase your ideas, embed videos, connect your social channels and play with formats. You will have a little more time than usual to lavish on your online presence… so go for it.
There are loads of blog courses on lynda.com (see blunder #2), get cracking! You could even start a blog based on your summer holidays, or being a tourist in your home town.
Blunder #7) Leaving new term reading until the night before uni starts
The new academic year means a new set of modules, workload and assignments. If you’re coming from school or college into the first year then the jump might be large.
It will be worth doing some stretches and strength training to get your brain in gear. If you’re going into the second or third year then the break is also a chance to revise some of the stuff from your previous studies.
For new students, many courses have a reading list which you can get from the website or the tutor, and then make a start on the course core readings, to get your head around the topics.
It’s not worth buying loads of books as you’ll have access to your core reading from the library once you start, so it is best to look for things like articles and journals online.
You may also be able to contact your tutor or look on the website and find out if your course has a summer project.
Blunder #8) Spending fortunes on a new diary but never filling it in
However you’re filling your days during summer… keep your diary up to date. Whatever you’re doing, make sure you make a note of what you accomplish so you can refer back to it. The days blur together in the summer so writing it all down can save the day if it ends up being relevant to a job application or your course in the future.
Blunder #9) Not listening to the experts
Watch this video to get some tips on utilising your summer from our current students!
Let us know what you’re doing this summer and any tips that have worked for you.
