You have just completed a grueling spring semester full of long lectures, lengthy textbooks, 15-page long writing assignments, final exams, and fraternity and sorority recruitment activities on top of everything. Now, the time has come to head home for the summer. But what will you do once you get there besides Netflixing or playing video games all day? Think about these 17 things you can do in your hometown this summer as you await your much-anticipated return to campus in the fall.
1. Be an Example for the Kids at Your High School
One of the first stops you’re probably going to make when you get home is to your old high school. Take a moment to visit your school’s principal or favorite high school teacher and see if there are any enrichment programs where you can help kids for the summer. There’s a good chance that they will want to know about your college experience, and what it was like becoming a member of your sorority or fraternity. A lot of elementary and high schools host events for young students, even during the summer, where college students and graduates come to back to talk to younger students.
2. Reconnect with Your Best Buds
There’s no way you can go back home for the summer and not reconnect with some of your friends, whether they have stayed in town or they are coming back into town from college.
3. Help Your Parents Fix Things Around the House
Let’s face it, your parents are getting older and they may be less motivated to do necessary things around the house. Use a portion of your summer to help Mom or Dad do repairs, or at least contact contractors to get things done.
4. Take a Tour of Your Hometown and Reminisce
Do you remember the old haunts you and your friends used to visit when you were in high school? Take a drive one day and revisit them. After all, this is the place that helped mold you into the person you are today.
5. Volunteer at Home
One of the tenets of a lot of sororities and fraternities is community service. Just because you’re out of school for the moment doesn’t mean you have to put things on pause for the summer. Do a quick Google search to find volunteer opportunities in the zip code near you.
6. Throw a BBQ Party for Friends and Family
It’s summer, so that means party time! This is your moment to load up on food for an outdoor barbecue. Get the grill going, music playing, and take the time to enjoy time with your closest loved ones. Getting together has been more difficult during the pandemic, so focus on having a small party with your close friends and families that you know. To be safe, you might want to wear your sorority or fraternity face mask.
7. Get in Shape Girl, or Boy
Though you may find the time to work out when you are at school, during the summer time there really is no excuse not to put your exercise routine into full gear. Find your local park or trail and walk every day to get your body right and build up your energy before the fall semester. Stay geared up in your Greek joggers, sweatpants, and sorority or fraternity t-shirts.
8. Zoom with Your Sorority Sister and Fraternity Brothers
After a long summer at home you’re probably going to start missing your sorority sisters and fraternity brothers. Break up that long-distance relationship by zooming with your friends at college. Before you set up the Zoom call, take the time to create games and other fun topics you can talk about.
9. Learn to Cook, Finally
Once you spend a semester or longer at college, you start to appreciate your mom or dad’s home cooking. While you’re at home for the summer, ask them to teach you some of your favorite dishes so that you can make them when you return to the campus in the fall. You might even start to wear a Greek lettered apron when you cook.
10. Hit Up Your Favorite Pool or Beach
Summertime is POOL time, hands down. Go to your favorite local pool while you’re home for the summer. If you live anywhere near a beach, bring some of your favorite people along with you. Those few hours indulging in the sunlight are memorable, refreshing, and will help rejuvenate you in time for the upcoming fall semester. Don’t forget to bring your Greek lettered beach towel and sorority flip flops.
11. Try a New Hairstyle or Look
May or June, after the spring semester is the perfect time to try out a new hairstyle or experiment with your look. Set an appointment with a stylist to explore different ways to wear your hair. And if your hair style doesn’t work out quite how you thought it would, at least you’ll have time to regrow or reshape it to its original style before heading back to campus.
12. Order Up New Greek Gear for Fall and Spring
When you’re home with your parents for the summer, it’s the perfect time to re-up on custom, stylish, and trendy new Greek gear. Your parents will probably be so happy to see you that they’ll finance your entire sorority or fraternity shopping spree.
13. Work a Summer Job and Save Up Some Cash
Working in the summer not only helps occupy your mind and keep you busy, it also allows you to save up some money for school. That way when you return to campus in the fall, you’ll have a little cash stashed away to fund your pizza nights, late night snack runs, and Greek Gear without having to call Mom and Dad.
14. Host a Socially Distanced Movie Night in Your Backyard
Do you have a projector screen or a really large TV? host a little movie night in your yard with close friends and family members. They will not only be glad to see you, but also happy for a chance to get out of the house and eat some popcorn.
15. Do a Job Search for Internships for an Hour Each Day
If you are in your junior or senior year of college, now is the time for you to spend as much time as you can to look for positions that you might fill successfully. Some may be offering internships that you can start as soon as you return to school. Get ahead of the game.
16. Take a 2 Week “Me” Trip
Some students decide to take a year off school or more so that they can travel and experience life on the road. If that may not be possible for you, you can just take a two-week me trip somewhere you find interesting.
17. Tell Your Loved Ones How Much You Appreciate Them
One of the most important things you can do when you return to your hometown this summer is to let everyone you love know how much you care about them and appreciate them. One of the most effective ways of doing this is to write a handwritten letter to each person and leave it with them before you head back to campus.
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