Author: Gail Ramberg

The long summers you have when you’re a student are ideal for traveling. Even when you have other commitments, you should be able to make time for a short vacation — and if you have nothing else to do, you could even pick a far-off destination. To make sure you have a memorable vacation, choose one of the following best beach destinations.

1. San Juan, Puerto Rico

If you’re taking language classes at university, it makes sense to go to a country where you can put your skills into practice. Spanish learners should consider San Juan in Puerto Rico. The capital is right on the coast, where there are many bars, nightclubs, and casinos. When you want a change from the beach, head into the city to see the colonial buildings, check out the fortresses, and walk the cobblestone streets.

2. Ecuador

A particularly safe country to visit in South America is Ecuador — another great option if you want to practice your Spanish. It also has some of the best beaches you’ll find on the continent. The beaches are particularly great for surfing and yoga as well as just relaxing. If you go to the Galapagos, the most popular island for beaches is Santa Cruz, which has Tortuga Bay and El Garrapatero.

3. Panama City, Florida

A classic student destination is Panama City, Florida. Since the beaches are often packed in the summer, it’s ideal if you like the party scene. Make sure to check for events before you decide to go — you may be able to make it to a music festival.

4. Albania

If you want to go to Europe for a beach vacation, one of the top choices is Albania, which is less expensive than many other European countries. It has fantastic Mediterranean beaches with white sands, set against a backdrop of mountains. When you want to do something other than bask in the sun, you can venture out to the castles and archeological sites.

5. Cambodia

To visit Asia on a budget, consider Cambodia. The hotels are particularly cheap, meaning you can stay right next to the beach without breaking the bank. Try to make it over to Koh Rong (also called Monkey Island) — it has a coast of sandy bays, coral reefs, and coconut palms and a center of dense jungle where you can take zip lines, rope walks, and suspension bridges.

6. Indonesia

A second option in Asia is Indonesia. Its top beach island is probably Bali, which is particularly inexpensive. You’ll often find fun activities are available at the beaches, including yoga and snorkeling.

7. Portugal

A European country that sees less tourism than it deserves is Portugal. Prices are lower than in most of Western Europe and the food is excellent — especially if you like seafood. Although a large amount of the country is coastline, most people agree that the best place for a Portuguese beach vacation is the Algarve.

University itself can be almost as fun as your summer vacation. The key is to have great housing, where you live around other students but still have your own space. For apartments near Queens University, move into Foundry Mack. We have one- to five-bedroom suites in a student community, complete with incredible amenities including an outdoor recreation area and study spaces. Apply now before all the leases are taken.

When researching internships, you try hard to find one you’ll enjoy at a company that treats its interns with respect and makes work interesting for them. However, it’s impossible to know how exactly it will pan out until you’re there. If you end up with a bad internship, you may feel like the summer will never end and wonder how you made such a mistake. Instead of dwelling in your misery and comparing your situation to the fun your friends are having, take these steps to make the most of the experience.

1. Make Everything a Learning Experience

Even when you’re in the midst of a task you’re not enjoying at all, you should be able to find something positive in the experience. For instance, you may learn a useful skill or put into practice knowledge you gained from the classroom.

In addition, you’ll learn things about yourself — you may discover you dislike something you thought you’d enjoy, or vice versa. This is especially important if the aspects you dislike are central to the role, as you may even discover you want to pursue a different career to what you originally thought. Whereas this is initially disappointing, it’s far better to figure this out while you’re still at university than when you’ve entered the workforce.

Finally, you’ll learn about leadership styles. If it’s a superior’s leadership style that’s making your internship unpleasant, you should ensure you lead your team differently whenever you’re in a similar position. For example, you may offer team members more support and feedback or listen to what they have to say.

2. Avoid the Same Mistakes in the Future

To avoid similar situations in the future, reflect on what is specifically making your internship bad. It could be the hours are longer than you expected (such as if you need to take work home), the large number of people you interact with make it difficult to build contacts, or you work mostly in isolation whereas you prefer to collaborate. Whatever the case, you should search for jobs in the future that have characteristics you do like. You can assess potential positions by reading job descriptions carefully, researching companies, and asking the right questions at interviews.

3. Don’t Blame Yourself

A bad internship can shatter your confidence, but it’s important to remember it isn’t a reflection on you. Struggling to fit in at one company doesn’t mean you’d have the same experience at another. This is especially true if what you dislike at your internship is the workplace dynamics, the company culture, or your supervisor’s communication style.

Have fun over the summer in spite of a bad internship by moving into a better apartment. You can find Kingston student housing rentals at Foundry Mack. When you return home at the end of the day, you’ll be able to relax in your fully-furnished suite or head to the outdoor recreation area, fire pit, or lounge to meet other students. Apply now to move in over the summer and stay living here when the fall semester starts up.

A great way to start each new semester is to set goals for how you want to do better. However, when you sit down to write out your goals, you may find your mind goes blank. If you’re stuck for ideas, choose from some goals that are relevant for almost all university students.

1. Exercise on a Regular Basis

Create a workout schedule — and make sure you stick to it. University is a great time to discover more physical activities you enjoy. There’s likely a gym on campus, intramural sports teams you can join, and casual fitness classes you can attend. If you find it too tiring to do one long workout, build up your fitness level by adding more activity to your day, such as short walks, stretches, and quick exercises.

2. Use Your Phone Less

Wasting time on social media will mean you have less time available for the activities that matter. Put your phone out of reach while you’re studying and set time limits for social media, games, and other addictive apps to encourage you to cut back.

3. Improve Your Class Attendance

You should only skip class if you have a good reason, such as if you’re sick. The rest of the time, aim to attend all your classes — including when you’re not in the mood. You’ll benefit from being able to take your own notes and having the chance to ask your professors about any doubts.

4. Stick to a Sleep Schedule

You’ll find it easier to meet many of your other goals if you sleep enough. By going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, you’ll consistently sleep enough and improve the quality of your sleep.

5. Choose Your Extracurriculars Carefully

You have a huge number of opportunities to become involved in clubs, organizations, and other activities while at university. Whereas these can be fulfilling, teach you new skills, and give you the chance to expand your social circle, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Be selective when committing to extracurriculars to ensure you still have enough time for schoolwork and other responsibilities.

6. Work Toward Your Career Goals

As well as setting goals to improve your life now, you need to think ahead to the future. Consider what actions you can take now to move closer to meeting your career goals. Just reminding yourself of what you want to do in the future can be useful for keeping you motivated when studying and push you to do the best on your papers and exams.

7. Find Time to Relax

All your academic, social, and work commitments can mean you rarely have the chance to just relax. However, finding time for your hobbies is important for avoiding stress and staying happy. If you’re particularly busy, it may be worth marking time on your calendar for relaxing activities like reading, art projects, and journaling.

If you’re currently living on campus, one more goal to include on your list is to find student rentals. Kingston, Ontario, has the ideal housing for busy students at Foundry Mack. To ensure you’ll be comfortable, our suites are all fully furnished and come with top-of-the-line appliances, including a washer and dryer. Plus, you’ll be less than 10 minutes from campus and only a short walk from downtown. Apply now to secure the lowest rates of the year.

You should consider taking an internship even if it’s not a graduation requirement for your major. Through an internship, you’ll learn many skills you would never have the chance to pick up in the class, gain work experience to put on your resume, and build a network of contacts — perhaps even your future employer. However, since many other students will also be looking for summer internships, you should start searching several months in advance to land a top opportunity.

Three to Five Months in Advance Is Ideal

Unlike with a job, you don’t start working at an internship soon after you accept the position. Companies advertise summer internships several months in advance. By beginning your search at least three and as many as five months ahead of time, you’ll have more options and will be more likely to find something relevant to your career goals.

Why the Summer Is an Ideal Time for an Internship

There are opportunities for internships year round, but the summer is one of the best times to take an internship, for several reasons. For one thing, you won’t have as many other academic commitments and you may even have time off from your part-time job, such as if you work on campus.

Plus, if you want to use your summer productively anyway, there are few better options than an internship. Since the position will be in a field you are interested in, you’ll gain more relevant experience than if you were to search for a summer job and you may find it helps you decide if you’re on the right career path.

How to Find Internships

At the start of the spring semester, head to the careers services on campus to see what resources your university has for students searching for internships. The staff may be able to provide you with a list of internships or give you tips about how to ace an interview. Also stay alert for job fairs on campus, where you can meet potential employers.

Alternatively, you could search for internships on job sites or see if any companies you would like to work for have internships mentioned on their websites. If an employer doesn’t have any internships listed, reach out through email to request an informational interview — there’s always the chance an employer could create an internship just for you.

It’s Never Too Early for an Internship

Although it’s most common to take an internship in the summer of your third or fourth year, some students take an internship in their second or even first year. You may like to consider this if you know exactly what you want to do after you graduate and are passionate about the field you want to enter. In fact, taking an internship early could pave the way for an elite internship later. This, in turn, can improve your chances of landing a great job right after you graduate.

You’ll need somewhere to stay while you’re doing your summer internship, but the dorms on campus will likely be closed. You can find Kingston student housing rentals at Foundry Mack. Our apartments are located within walking distance of downtown, where you’ll find many top businesses. Plus, you can continue living here when the fall semester starts — you’ll be just a couple blocks from campus. Apply now while we still have leases available.