There are many things under the sun that a young and outgoing college student can do during the summer: lie out at the beach, go to concerts, sleep, go dancing, and sleep. But no, you are a pre-professional student. This is not the time to wait idly before the start of next semester to develop and excel in your classes; excel this summer! If you are staying near the vicinity of Lexington after your spring semester passes, there are limitless way to get your hand dirty. Since the majority of the campus will leave for vacation, take advantage of the greater availability you will have to your advisors, admissions officers, and volunteer coordinators. One of the main places I am referring to are the vast amount of hospitals still looking for students to volunteer after the semester expires. I personally recommend St. Joseph Hospital’s Emergency Room Shadowing Experience. This gives you the chance to volunteer and shadow for 10 hours straight in there three different branches…probably the easiest way to tell if you want to be in the health care field in the first place.

This next tip is more of a preparation for the future, but many pre-professional students invest their summer time into summer research internships. The buckets of opportunities for you to work at any university runs rampant if you stay ahead of the ball in applying. Most research internships, by now, have made their selections so the key work during your 2013 summer would be in preparing a game plan as to which program you wish to apply to for summer 2014. One of the most competitive and prestigious programs is the REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program supported in various institutions all around the country. Applications for those usually open up in late January or early February; in other words, once your spring semester is already in full swing. You simply will not have the time to make a conscious effort while managing your classes and more pressing matters so having the top 3 or 5 programs you will solely focus on is the best idea. I recommend beginning with a stock essay discussing your goals in doing research, lifetime professional goals, and any current projects you are involved in to use as a foundation for the majority of essays asked with these types of programs. Additionally, have in mind a list of 3-5 faculty members you believe could write a strong recommendation letter for your application to these programs. You will rely quite extensively on this list of people so be thoughtful of their time and make them aware of your request for a letter at least 2 weeks in advanced from the program deadline. Yes, volunteering and intense research preparation may not be the most exciting things, but just make great use of those short 123 days before beginning your fall semester.