As the school year withers to a close, many of us hope to maximize the upcoming summer months. However, planning is much easier said than done, especially when there are so many options available! Here’s a list of ten ways to make this summer your most productive one yet.

1. Learn a new language.

Many of us already take language classes at school, but learning a language independently from scratch is truly a one-of-a-kind experience that no school course can offer. Just choose a language that has always fascinated you, and make use of the millions of free resources online, such as Duolingo and Humanities Libretexts (which has entire textbooks!).

2. Prepare for any upcoming standardized tests.

Summer is the perfect time to get ahead on standardized test prep. I took the SAT for the first time in August, after spending the summer preparing. This summer preparation served as a very valuable head-start that I greatly recommend for anyone planning to take the SAT or ACT at the end of the summer or next school year.

3. Volunteer.

Summer provides us with an abundance of time, and there are plenty of nonprofit organizations that could use a hand. Do some research and find a service opportunity that best suits your interests, reach out, and volunteer! By completing service hours during summer, you also lighten your service-learning workload for the hectic school year.

4. Enter competitions.

There are plenty of online competitions concerning almost all interests, such as art and writing. You can spend your free time doing something you love, and submit it for a potential prize! By the end of the summer, you could boast an abundance of new achievements.

5. Take online courses.

Websites like EDx and Coursera offer free college courses that you can use to learn something new. Simply search for a topic you are interested in, and start learning! The websites also offer you a realistic, virtual, asynchronous college experience that allows you to complete assignments on your own time while maintaining deadlines.

6. Prepare for the upcoming school year.

The last thing we want to do during summer is dwell on the upcoming school year, but the more we prepare for it, the less we have to dread it. The previously mentioned websites (EDx and Coursera) offer many preparatory AP courses that you can use to get a glimpse of the class before entering it in the fall. I used this strategy for AP Physics 1, and it was very valuable to see the true difficulty level of the class prior to school starting. Also, do not leave all of your summer work assignments for the first few days of September. Space the work out so that you do not have to rush the last week of summer.

7. Research and visit colleges.

The biggest piece of advice I have heard from graduating seniors is to research colleges thoroughly before applying. It can be very easy to both dismiss and praise a school without knowing enough about it. Consider one school at a time and compile a list. Watch YouTube videos of current students. Peruse the college’s website and social media. Expose yourself to a sufficient amount of information before making a potentially life-altering decision. Visiting colleges is also equally as important. Schedule tours so you can see the school first-hand. You will not have an accurate image of a college until you actually take the time to visit it. This process is beyond important and ensures that you do not waste your time applying to schools that you would never attend or ignore a school that is actually perfect for you.

8. Create a vision board.

This sounds cliche, but visualization truly is the key to success. You need to be able to see yourself prospering to achieve your highest potential. Set aside a journal, a piece of paper, or even a Google slides presentation. Spill all hopes that you have for your future, along with any images that represent the goal. Where do you see yourself? Who do you hope to be? Look back to this vision board when you wake up and any time you are feeling unmotivated.

9. Join an initiative.

There are countless high-school initiatives online. Perform a quick online search and find those that best suit your talents and passions. Send a quick email, and you will surely be invited to take part in the initiative.

10. Carry out your own passion project.

I really saved the best for last in this list. Passion projects are unbelievably important, yet so few high school students know about them. Passion projects allow you to transform your interests and abilities into a real-life project that has visible impacts on the world. This could be as simple as starting a club at school or planning a series of seminars at the local library. It just has to be unique, impactful, and important to you.