According to the New Albany Floyd County schools calendar, students start their summer break on June first and go back to classes seven weeks later Aug. 18.

According to students like  Luke Castleman, business marketing freshman, and Zach Densford, political science freshman, the IU Southeast summer break is much longer than it was in high school. IU Southeast starts the break May 2, and returns back to class Aug. 21 That has students having a three-in-half month gap.

In that time, however, Castleman said he never gets bored because he uses the break to work during the summer.

Although Castleman works during the break, he also  recommends that students plan out their summer by finding an internship or other work so they aren’t left bored and wondering what to do to stay busy.

Denford suggests that students find a hobby they like while also keeping in touch with friends.

“Find something you like to do and go with it,” Densford said. “Also, hang out with your friends. Especially the ones that go to different colleges because you don’t get to see them very often.”

Derek Collins, communications senior, said although students should get a job and save up money for vacation, they also should find outdoor activities such as sports.

“I play ultimate Frisbee during the summer as my hobby,” Collins said.

Some students take a different approach to the summer break and take summer classes to help them graduate faster.

Sara Allen, Spanish senior, said that she recommends students who are not busy during the summer take summer classes so they don’t get bored while also helping with graduation requirements.

“I’ve taken summer classes before and they’re usually a lot more fun because the class size is a lot smaller,” Allen said. “You definitely get your gen-eds out of the way faster when you take summer classes.”

Seuth Chaleunponh, dean of student life, said while he was a student, he would take summer classes to get some of them out of the way.

He also suggests that same for students to  take summer classes to get a head start on their degree and help them graduate faster.

“I would try to take summer classes to get my general education requirements out of the way,” Chaelunponh said. “Taking two to four summer classes over one’s college career can open up one’s schedule during junior or senior year to take electives related to one’s academic program.”

Some of the faculty at IU Southeast took part in  the same things while they were students, such as full-time jobs and internships.

Danielle Leffler, coordinator at the Career Development , spent most of her time working a full-time job as a waitress, then later took on took office jobs to gain more experience. She used this time to  save up money for the next year.

She said she was also fortunate enough to have the HOPE scholarship that covered her tuition while she was in college.

Leffler said that she suggests students look for internships, jobs and volunteer opportunities during the summer in their career field to gain experience.

“Get involved in a community organization or board, attend key events or meetings in your field, or look into setting up an internship,” Leffler said.  “Summers are a great time to jump outside of your comfort zone and engage with the community.”

Chaelunponh also said that summer is a good time to take advantage of spare time to fill out your resume and build your portfolio.

“Whether this is a volunteer opportunity or paid position, experiences where students can show that they take initiative, have good communication skills, leadership skills and teamwork skills all add up to how they can further market themselves when looking for a job after graduation,” Chaelunponh said.

Although looking for ways to get involved is important, Leffler said enjoying your time during break is something that needs to take up a part of your time as well.

“If you have big dreams or goals for your future, summers are a great time to give them a try.  Want an internship in New York? Apply and see what happens. Want to travel to Europe?  Save up your money and make a plan,” Leffler said.  “Managing your life only gets more difficult as you get older, so use the time to your advantage.”

If you are a student looking for an internship, job or volunteer opportunities you can go to Career Link through the Career Development Center website. You can also go fill out your four year career plan to build your resume one experience at a time.