What did you do during your summers?

[thisismymingzi]

Hi!

 

I'm a current sophomore/junior looking to go to grad school for sociology (haha). Now that I can apply to most, if not all, internships, may I ask what did you all do during your summers?

 

As a rising sophomore, I took a summer course and worked my first real low-wage job at a farm to gain an uncommon(?) new perspective. This summer, I was thinking of applying for some full-time 8- or 12-week research programs (NSF REU's, SURF's, SROP's, etc.), or internships in the government/NGO/NPO/think tank, etc., but we'll see.

 

If not that, I'd be happy continuing the research I'll start this semester at my home institution and another low-paying job, or volunteering. Much better than neverending applications...

 

Have any of you had any success with just cold emailing professors or research centers at other universities?

 

Also, silly question to ask, but may I also ask how did you coordinate spending time with your family and friends over the summers? Because so many summer opportunities conflict with family vacations and such.

 

Thank you, and have a wonderful new year!

Edited January 5, 2014 by thisismymingzi

[Canis]

If you haven't, read these, they're written for high school students but I found them really helpful in terms of balancing school and life, and also how to find the kind of summer project you're looking for:

http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/04/18/how-to-become-a-zen-valedictorian-decreasing-your-stress-without-decreasing-your-ambition/

http://calnewport.com/blog/2010/03/26/how-to-get-into-stanford-with-bs-on-your-transcript-failed-simulations-the-surprising-psychology-of-impressiveness/

[Maleficent999]

I was supporting myself by working full-time through undergrad so unfortunately I wasn't able to work in any labs (aside from the lab I worked in at my school) or take any internships over the summer. However, I did have a friend who traveled to different schools almost every summer and worked in different labs with different professors. She just emailed them months in advance. I'm talking in November to work with them the following summer. She seemed to have a lot of success with that. On the flip side, I don't think you'll be looked down upon if you don't do that every summer. Like I said, I only have lab experience with my alma mater and I don't expect too many people will have a lot more than that. It is definitely an advantage but I doubt it is a disadvantage if you don't do it. Just my $.02.

[rising_star]

If you can find an interesting NSF REU and get accepted, that's a great summer option. The pay is really good, plus it's a stipend on top of room and board. The experience and connections you get will also be very helpful for grad school admissions. So yea, definitely go that route if you can find a project you're interested in. You should definitely be looking for those now as applications are often due in late January or early February.