Will you have a break this summer?

April is here and May is just around the corner, which means summer break…well for some of us. There are many ways in which some of us will spend our summer, but how many of you can really call it a break?

One option can be to spend 10 to 12 weeks at an internship, both earning money and receiving experience in your field of study. The location of this position could be in your hometown or perhaps in another state such as Michigan or New York. Either way time is being spent in hopes of bettering your chances of getting a great job after college.

Some students may choose to attend summer school. Those words may seem hellish to some, but it is a way to either get ahead or catch up in your college career. Those of you who have to go this route may not feel any excitement of this semester coming to an end. You spend August through May in class and then when summer finally arrives you’re stuck in the same routine. It should be a crime for the words “summer” and “school” to be put in the same sentence, but somebody had to be the culprit to come up with this bright idea!

Next we have those students who work during the academic year, but spend the summer either picking up more hours or finding a second job. You see that your checking or savings account is close to empty and this is the only way to fill it back up. There is no sleeping in during the week and you’re lucky if you get weekends off. If you are one of those lucky ones who is able to spend Saturday and Sunday work-free, you spend this time sleeping or trying to have a little fun during your “break.” Most of your time is actually spent at work, but each dollar earned is more money toward that car, apartment or bill that you still haven’t paid off.

Also in this category are those individuals who have mommy and daddy supporting them financially, but choose to earn some extra cash by getting a summer job. They work maybe 10 to 15 hours a week and spend the remainder of their time on the beach or in the house relaxing.

Finally we have the luckiest of them all, those people who truly “break.” They rejoice in the end of the semester because that means cruises and resorts. They sleep until noon, spend the day shopping and lounging by the pool and party until 3:00 in the morning. “Work” is not in their vocabulary, but they truly know the meaning of “break.” They worry about sunburns or arriving late to the airport for their flight to Jamaica; not whether they’ll have time to take a nap before work or if they’ll be late from their lunch break. Golden sand, clear blue water and lots of sun is all they see.

What does summer break mean to you? Will you have time to just relax and be free from the stress of being a student? Honestly, what is summer break?