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Must do items for college students in the summer. A boy jumping into the lake.

Ah, summer. Pools are open, mosquitos are out, and the heat is on! EducationQuest staff reflected on their college summers. Check out this must-do list for college students this summer:

Earn some cash.

Lifeguard, work at summer camp, wait tables, intern – so many options! Work experience will grow your employability skills, and a little cash will help pay the tuition bill in the fall.

Take a break.

Bonfires, sand volleyball with friends, cookouts, 4th of July fireworks. Life feels slow during these long summer days. Soak it in before the busy schedule begins again in the fall.

Make some progress.

Consider taking a class or two – just enough to make some progress on your major. But don’t over-do it! Summer break is a necessary time to rejuvenate and prepare for an upcoming rigorous academic school year.

Go on a trip – on a budget.

Rent an RV to the cold-water streams of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the beaches along Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes, or the waterfalls of Nebraska at Smith Falls near Valentine.

Have a new (inexpensive) experience!

Download the SkyView Life app (free star gazing map) and head out to a state park. Apple Store | Google Play

Geocache! This free treasure hunt emphasizes the hunt, not so much the treasure.

Read a book – for fun. Many local libraries have free summer reading programs that gift you prizes when you read.

Cook a fantastic meal! Grilled corn on the cob, Dutch oven peach cobbler – learn how to make a summertime recipe.

Before you know it, class will be back in session, so be sure to soak up these summer days!

By Kristin Ageton