Here’s What to Do During the Summer in College

College semesters are hectic. When summer rolls around, it’s natural to crave a much-needed break from classes, constant assignments, study sessions, and all-nighters pulled before exams. While it’s important to get some rest during the summer and fill your cup before diving into the new year ahead, it’s also important to spend time doing something fulfilling and fun. If you’re wondering how to make the most of summer break, why not take advantage of your free time and the gorgeous summer weather with a meaningful trip abroad?

Wondering how to make the most of your summer break? Go abroad!

Summer programs abroad are the perfect way to spend your summer as a college student. They offer the opportunity to travel the world, collect adventures, and boost your resume, while being a lot more laid back than semester or year-long programs. Here’s exactly how to spend your summer as a college student if you want to make the most of your summer break.

Do summer programs help college admissions?

Summer programs come in all shapes and sizes, and some look better to college admissions than others. With that being said, most summer programs abroad allow you to gain new skills, broaden your perspective, make you more adaptable, and expose you to new experiences - all of which will boost your resume and any college admissions application.

More importantly, summer programs abroad are fun, productive, incredible growth opportunities. That is reason enough to spend your summers traveling meaningfully. It’s a whole lot better than sitting on your parents’ couch binge-watching Netflix. While it’s okay to spend a little time catching up on your favorite shows, here’s what to do during college summer break to bring a little more excitement to your days.

What to do during the summer in college

Spend the summer on the coast of Thailand. Hop from island to island while helping kids learn English.

When it comes to summer programs abroad, the options are truly endless. There are opportunities to do all types of meaningful travel during your summer break, whether you want to gain college credits, earn money, make a difference, or get a kick of adrenaline before your upcoming semester.

While some experiences may be worth waiting until you have more time than just a short summer break, it is guaranteed you’ll find a program that’s perfect for you and your goals that will fit between semesters. Stop wondering how to make your summer productive—get off the couch and jump into summer programs abroad.

1. Study Abroad

Just because you’ve spent the entire semester studying doesn’t mean you should ignore the opportunity for a summer study abroad program. Studying in the summer has lots of perks. You can gain extra college credits by taking summer courses, which can help you catch up or advance through your studies. Do this all while traveling the world and exploring new countries.

Summer study abroad also offers the chance to take courses outside of your major, which means you may stumble across a new interest you never knew you had. If you’re wondering how to spend your summer as a college student while still staying in touch with campus life, this could be the perfect option for you.

• Recommended program: Study Abroad and Gap Year Voyages with Seamester Study Abroad at Sea

2. Intern Abroad

You don’t have to sacrifice your career goals while traveling abroad.

Internships abroad are what to do during college summer break if you want to apply what you’ve learned throughout the semester and get real-world experience. This is your chance to gain work experience and practical skills, learn more about your industry and whether it’s the right fit for you, while also boosting your resume.

While some internships abroad offer a stipend, many are unpaid. Don’t let this deter you, as all internships abroad are well-worth your time. After all, you’ll get to see more of the world while getting your foot in the door of your chosen career field, which can open up job opportunities post-graduation.

• Recommended program: Internships in Greece with Intern Abroad HQ

3. Work Abroad

It’s natural to want to make money during your summer break, whether to pay for the coming year’s tuition, add to your savings account, or pay off other school necessities. While it’s easy to get a summer job in your hometown, did you know it’s also possible to get a summer job abroad? Some countries, like Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, offer working holiday programs that allow you to travel the country and get paid.

This is perfect for those who want to see the world while also gaining valuable work experience and growing their bank accounts. A summer job abroad offers great experience for your resume and can fund your travels while you’re at it. If you’re lucky, you may even come home with a chunkier savings account than when you left.

• Recommended program: Work and Travel Canada with InterExchange

4. Teach Abroad

While there are many opportunities to work abroad in different industries around the world, teaching abroad tends to be a popular job for college students and grads. TEFL teaching opportunities are far and wide.

They open up jobs in many non-English speaking countries around the world by teaching English as a foreign language. As a TEFL teacher, you can get a taste for a new type of career path, which could open doors to further work and travel opportunities teaching English around the world after college.

• Recommended program: Get TEFL Certified & Teach English in South Korea with International TEFL Academy

5. Learn a New Language Abroad

Language exchange is both fun and productive when you live abroad! Make new friends on your road to fluency.

If a language school setting sounds exciting, but you’d rather be the student than the teacher, consider spending your summer break learning a new language abroad. While you may have the chance to study a language during your semesters at college, there is no better way to become fluent in a language than studying in the native country.

Whether you want to learn Spanish in Spain, French in France, or Mandarin in China, studying a language abroad in the summer is a great way to immerse yourself in a new culture while practicing with native speakers. You’ll achieve a much higher level of fluency than if you study in your home country, even if the program is just for one short summer.

• Recommended program: Spanish Immersion Programs in Latin America with Maximo Nivel

6. Volunteer Abroad

If you’ve been considering what to do during the summer in college to truly make a difference, why not dive into volunteering abroad? Volunteer opportunities can last anywhere from one week to three months, which means you can spend part of your summer getting some relaxing time with family and old friends, and part of it changing lives.

Summer volunteer programs range anywhere from community development, to teaching, to disaster relief, and beyond. They offer the opportunity to use skills you already have or to gain new ones. You’ll absolutely experience deep cultural immersion and make a massive difference in the lives of the people you meet.

• Recommended program: Animal Welfare Volunteer Programs with GoEco

7. Gap Summer

When most think of a gap year abroad, they think of a full year of galavanting around the world. But have you ever considered a gap summer abroad? That’s right, you can shorten your gap year to a summer and have the adventure of a lifetime in between semesters! With a gap summer, you can get out of your comfort zone and experience an epic adventure, while experiencing immense personal growth.

Whether that involves surfing, scuba diving, rock climbing, renting a van and road tripping from coast to coast, or backpacking across the destinations of your dreams, gap years give you options. While a summer can go by in a flash, it’s a wonderful way to get a taste of a gap year, leaving you inspired for more travel adventures in the summers to come.

• Recommended program: Australia Adventure with Gapforce

NEXT: 10 Best Summer Travel Programs This Year

Your summer break can be fun AND productive

”Jobs fill your pocket. Adventures fill your soul.” –Jaime Lyn Beatty

Ultimately, how to spend your summer as a college student is up to you. While you might be craving a rest, summer break is long enough to have a balance of relaxation and adventure. Whether you want to gain work experience, continue your studies, volunteer, make new friends, or get out of your comfort zone, the options are endless.

So if you want to make your summer break fun and productive, spin the globe, plant your finger, and choose a summer program abroad that calls out to you. No matter what you choose, you won’t regret traveling meaningfully during your summer break.

Our Online Advisor will match you with 5 summer programs abroad—for FREE!