Five Ways to Have a Social Summer

By Lev Novak

A summer can be a fantastic thing to some- to others, it’s a social desert compared to the options offered by school. Want some help? Well, that’s why we’re here.

1. Stay Calm

A lot of people put pressure on themselves to have a summer vacation that they always remember, or confuse vague MTV commercials with the real thing. Don’t do that. Summer can be great, sure, but it can also be boring, and realizing that helps take the pressure off. Don’t stress about not having fun- that’s even worse than not having it.

2. Work Harder

In the summer, people aren’t around the same way they are in college. Your crew around you is going to be down more than a few people any given weekend: friends are out-of-state, on trips, or even working. It’s harder to pull together a definitive crew simply because nothing defines you and your friends right now.

What that means, then, is that you can’t count on word of a party moving through all the channels naturally. If you want to do anything, even party, you’re going to have to work harder. Ironically, since everyone is feeling lazier, partying can be harder to get going. At school, partying was a release, something structured and important. In the summer, it can just feel like another day- and that removes the specialness from it. So, if you have a special occasion or goal, work at it. Work harder at partying than work, or it’ll be another “eh” night before school.

3. Make Easy Plans.

It’s easy to make plans, but it’s a lot harder to stick to them.

A road-trip across the country to watch baseball in ten different stadiums is an awesome idea. Now all you need is a car, friends, three weeks of no requirements, money for food, gas, and lodging and…oh, you’re just going to stay in? I thought so.

Instead of having a great idea you don’t do, commit fully to an okay idea. Go see your local team play a game. Figure out the public transportation. Figure out the price. Drink before hand. It’s nothing crazy, but it is something. If you really end up doing anything crazy, it’ll happen with natural momentum. Maybe you enjoy the game so much that a road-trip seems like a good idea, for example. But trying to plan that first is like running before you can walk.

4. Be a People Person

Outside of college, your friend circle is going to get a little weird.

In college, everyone you hung with had a purpose, and you knew your crew. You knew what you liked, who you liked, and what to do. It was simple back then, and easy. But no more. In the summer, half your friends are away- out of state, overseas, or even working. The other half are your old high-school friends, and half of them are away. So what do you do?

Merge them.

It might be weird, but think about it like this: if it were a zombie apocalypse, you’d all have to band together to survive. Well, this is like that, but for boredom, so suck it up. Besides, you’re going to enjoy that beer a lot more if you pretend you fought to the death for it.

5. Get a Center

A house, a beach, a pool, a bar- any center you have to bring people or go to is going to keep you sane. Text conversations of “what do you wanna do?” “I dunno” are the worst, especially in the summer when no one has any good ideas. Head this off at the pass and have a go-to. That way, you’ll at least have something to do and somewhere to go while you try to plan for something better.

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