I think summer stopped being a break when school was no longer free. Entering college, I had all these plans to have fun and be carefree. I quickly learned that my dear parents couldn’t “pay this month’s loans just this one time,” for me forever.

No college is cheap. So, like most people, I got a campus job. But my campus job wasn’t enough last year, so I worked this past summer at my trusty summer camp. 
This meant that I was away from my friends and working from early June to mid August. Determined to get a break and have some fun, I took a vacation before camp.

Lesson one: Take advantage of the breaks you have, because they’re few and far between.

Some friends and I bought a mini-bus off of Craig’s List and drove across the country and back. Long story short, it was amazing, and I’m glad I got to do it before going to work.

The end of the summer came quickly, though, and a day after camp ended, I was back in Ithaca leading a Jumpstart program for incoming students.

Jumpstart was rewarding and I like being involved in making connections between freshmen and upper classmen, but I wish I had taken some time off between camp and school.

Flaw with lesson one: It’s hard to pass up experiences just because the timing isn’t perfect. I can’t convince myself that I’d rather sleep or hang out instead of do something that is a good opportunity.