What are the best ways to get involved and prepared the summer before college begins?

I disagree with Wael for the most part. I believe he is wrong. You should still make time to enjoy your summer but you should also try to be productive! I interned the summer between my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college. It was extremely rewarding, I got a taste of the professional world and I built valuable friendships that will help me with my career in the future. I am pretty sure its too late to get a summer internship now but there are tons of other things you can do to have a productive summer.

What are you interested in? Look up local volunteer opportunities on the internet. Volunteer for local organizations if you believe in their cause. It's great to do volunteer work not only are you helping your community but you have great things you can put on your resume and your LinkedIn account! Also NETWORK while you volunteer, chances are you might run into other professionals who also volunteer for a certain cause in their free time! Make friends with them! They might be able to help you get a job in the future. Networking is key!

Also get a summer job if you can. It definitely helps to have some extra cash in your pocket when entering college! It's never too late to get ahead start on your future. College is expensive and being financially prepared as possible will for sure help you out!

I hoped this helped! Feel free to leave a comment if you have any further questions.
-Ben

Hi Amanda,

Good luck going into your first year of college! I agree with Ben on this one, although the summer's you'll have in college will probably be filled with more career and school related activities, you can get a head start this summer in many ways. Firstly, a summer job (whether relevant to a career path or not) will only help you going into your freshman year. The extra cash on hand, the experience on your resume (for any job), and even some of the friendships you might take away are all rewarding.

I also believe that you should begin looking up some of the organizations and activities your school has to offer. Many organizations kick off directly as the school year commences, and having a knowledge base of what interests you, where these organizations meet, what they are about, etc. will help you plan and organize. Some may even have opportunities over the summer! Additionally, maybe you can get involved in your community with some volunteer activities, sports groups, etc. Enjoy the summer but also look towards the future. And good luck going into your first year!

Hi Amanda!

You asked a very important question. Here are some different perspectives on the subject. I hope that they will be helpful
http://lifehacker.com/everything-you-need-to-do-the-summer-before-college-a-1704012158
http://www.familyminute.com/articles/parenting/parenting-teens/the-summer-before-you-leave/#.V4bXGvkrLtQ
http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/professors-guide/2010/05/26/15-good-things-to-do-the-summer-before-college

I suggest you to enjoy this summer. You won't have this opportunity again. During college you should be spending your summers either taking classes or joining internships.