Between the excitement of graduating high school and the anticipation of embarking on your college career there lies two glorious months of summer.  Finally, some time to yourself to enjoy the weather, friends and countless other carefree activities, right? WRONG.

The summer before your first year of college will allow for plenty of time to partake in the aforementioned activities, but you’re doing yourself a disservice if all you do is relax and hang out with friends.  Ideally, this summer should be a blend of nostalgia and preparation.  So fondly remember your high school years and spend time with the people that contributed to your best memories, but also do the following:

Visit your college roommate

You will know who your future roommate is and be able to contact them long before your first day on campus.  Take the opportunity to meet up with them and get to know them better before you share close quarters for an entire school year.

Prepare for dorm life

While visiting your roommate, coordinate who’s bringing what.  Nothing is worse than having extra unnecessary items in the limited space of a college dorm.  Besides the possible shared items, (ex. mini fridge, television and game console) be sure to shop for personal items (ex. bedding, laundry supplies, organizational tools and school supplies) ahead of time.

College Summer Program

Many colleges offer incoming freshmen the opportunity to partake in a school sponsored summer program either on campus or in an interesting location.  These programs are a great chance to meet future classmates and professors.  They also serve as a good precursor to college life, and hey, you might even learn something!

Familiarize yourself with material

Once registered for classes, you will have a list of books for each of your courses.  Buy them.  Look through them.  You don’t have to read them cover-to-cover or fully understand the material, but flip though them and get a general idea.  Nothing impresses a professor more than a student who can contribute to class on the first day.

Ultimately you may choose to do all, some or none of these things.  Regardless of how you plan to spend your summer, be productive and enjoy it.