One of the most common questions student-athletes ask us here at ASM before they start college is “What should I do during the summer?” Here we lay out a few ideas of how you should be preparing to come to college. ASM can custom create a plan for you, read more here.

Take a course

Taking a course during summer is the best way to prepare for college. There are many reasons why taking a course in summer is beneficial:

• You get credits towards your degree! Many colleges will allow you to transfer these credits and use them towards your degree. That means you don’t have to take as many classes during the school year, which means less stress and more free time!
• You’ll be ahead of the competition when it comes time for graduation. It’s not uncommon for students who did not take advantage of summer school courses early on in their academic career to fall behind their peers when it comes time for graduation. (Take this article’s author as an example.) If you take advantage of all four years of high school, there will be no chance that this happens!

Get a job

Working can be stressful, but it’s a great way to build your résumé and earn extra money. If you’re a high school student, get a part-time job to help you save up for college. If you’re already in college, look for an internship this summer so that when the time comes to graduate from college, you’ll already have experience on your resume.

Make a list of things you need to do before college starts

One of the most important things you can do as a college freshman is make a list of everything that needs to get done before school starts. You’ll want to make sure you have all the information and documents you need before starting your classes as well.

You can create this by hand or with a spreadsheet on Google Sheets (you can find more information about how to use it here). The first thing I’d recommend doing is creating a column for each item, and then writing down what needs done in there. This should be easy enough if you’re working from memory; however, if there’s something specific (such as filling out financial aid forms), go ahead and note that down too!

Another way to keep track of upcoming deadlines would be through an app like Todoist which allows users like myself who live busy lives but still want some form of organization within their day-to-day lives.”

Read books

Reading is a great way to learn, but there are some books that will help you get ready for college.

In order to successfully navigate your first year of college, it’s important to know what the expectations are. That’s where this book comes in handy. Having read this book, you’ll know exactly how professors grade papers and tests; which professors are tough graders or easy graders; what kind of things they emphasize in class discussions; and how much time each professor expects students to spend on an assignment or paper (or at least how much time you should invest). You’ll also learn about the different types of classes available at different colleges—including arts and science disciplines—and which courses require more prior knowledge than others. Finally, there’s advice on choosing courses based on your interests as well as some tips for getting through those dreaded introductory courses with flying colors!

It’s never too early start preparing yourself for life after graduation…

Prepare for tests

• Take practice tests.
• Find out what the test will cover.
• Take a practice test before the real test, then review your answers.

Start your resume

You’re probably already aware of the importance of a resume. It’s your ticket to getting an interview, and it’s a great way for employers to get a feel for who you are and what you’ve done in your life. Your resume is also something that will continue to be an asset even after the summer is over and school starts up again, so it’s important that it contains all relevant information about yourself.

The first step in creating a good resume is making sure that it looks good! Make sure there aren’t any typos or formatting errors on the page—these can make a bad impression on prospective employers who are scanning through dozens of resumes. The next thing you should do is make sure that your contact information appears at the top of each page (this includes name, email address, phone number). You’ll also want to include any awards or honors that are relevant—for example if you have been recognized as “least likely person ever” by your friends because they thought they saw smoke coming out of your ears when they asked their parents if they could borrow their car this weekend…but really didn’t see anything at all…then include this award right under where it says “Personal Achievements.”

You have time this summer to get your pre-college ducks in a row.

You have a lot of time this summer to get your pre-college ducks in a row.

Because you’re at home, there are no distractions or excuses not to do your homework. You can take care of the things that need to be done before you go back to school and start your final year as a high school student.

Here are some ways that summer can help:

• You’ll get organized for college by performing tasks like organizing your documents into folders and getting rid of stuff you don’t need anymore. This will make it easier when it comes time for packing up all your belongings so they’re ready for move-in day at college!
• You can start on those college applications before classes even begin, so by the time fall rolls around, all those essays will already be finished! Just remember: Start early! The earlier you apply for scholarships (especially merit ones), the better chance you have at being awarded one.*