Congrats, graduate! High school is over and after a few short months you’ll be college bound. Now you’ve got a tough choice to make: you could have a lazy, relaxing summer vacation or you could put in a little work to gain experiences that will help you move towards your health care career.

The truth is that you’ve already been accepted to college. That means you deserve a little down time before you start your college studies, but be sure to take advantage of the time you have to gain experience that will help you in the long run. Specifically, this summer is a great opportunity for you to practice the art of work/life balance. Balancing work, fun, relationships and hobbies is important now and will continue to be once you’ve landed your dream career as well. Here are some suggestions on things to work into your summer schedule.

Catch Up on Reading

Reading keeps your mind engaged. Spending some time with books this summer is a great way to keep your mind sharp for studying during the next school year. Go to your local library for suggestions or use a service like Goodreads to crowd source recommendations. If you like fiction, go for it! But even if you’re reading nonfiction, it’s still going to be beneficial.

Volunteer Your Time

This is a great time to get involved with a local organization that you can continue to work with throughout college. Put some of your passion into helping others while you have a more flexible schedule.

Prepare for College

Do spend a little bit of time preparing for the fall semester. Start considering some careers you may like to work towards, follow up on financial aid and keep up to date on health care news.