The Unknown Danger of Spring Break

Spring break in college is like Vegas for bachelor parties! It’s a chance to get away from all of it for a little while and just go absolutely crazy. College students from all over America travel all over the globe, from the Bahamas to Cabo to Fort Lauderdale in Florida, with the intention of getting a lot of sun and avoiding the struggles that a college career brings. Unfortunately, for many of us, spring break also marks the finishing stretch of internship and job-hunting season. It’s a tricky time for a lot of students and it can bring a lot of confusion and missed opportunities. Hopefully I will be able to help you prevent that.

For those of you that aren’t going on trips, my recipe for success is pretty simple. Try to spend at least an hour or so per day in a coffee shop or a library at home working on anything and everything that you need to in order to prepare for the upcoming summer. If you try to do it at home, you may be distracted by a sibling, a parent, or that new show on Netflix. By going somewhere else to get the work done, you will be more motivated to do so and will likely find that you have a clearer head and can be more focused. If you already have your position locked up for the summer, I would recommend 30 min to an hour of researching on the industry that you are trying to work in. This will help you stay busy and stay competitive in this dog eat dog world and that small amount of research may provide you with a competitive advantage that you can carry for many years.

Now for those of you going on trips, it is a little trickier. Yet, at the same time, it’s simpler. All I am going to ask you to do is set an alarm for a time that is 30 min before you think your friends will wake up (probably around 11:30 am or later for most of you). Use the extra time to go downstairs to the hotel lobby, grab an orange juice, and spend time sending any emails and resumes that you need to. If you do this everyday, you will be able to keep up with everybody and even jump ahead of a lot of students. It’s important to do this in order to avoid missing any opportunities and it really takes little effort.

That bachelor or bachelorette has to get up the next day and drive or fly home and deal with the consequences of the night. Similarly, college students have to go back to school and deal with the consequences of their spring break. Unchecked emails and a lack of productivity can make or break people – don’t let it be you this upcoming week. Not all of us are Vinny Chase, we can’t spend 6 months in Mexico, recover, and return to America like nothing ever happened. Be productive and be safe.

Dustin Sleet

 

Dustin is a sophomore undergraduate student who is majoring in Sport Marketing and Management as well as Economics and aspires to work in baseball operations. You will most likely find him watching a sporting event.

By Dustin Sleet
Dustin Sleet Blogger