College students often look forward to the free time that summer provides, but utilizing that extra time is imperative to maximizing any UW-La Crosse experience. As Spiderman’s Uncle Ben so famously said, “With great power comes great responsibility,” and summer is no exception. With the power that summer provides students, in the form of time, they have the responsibility to utilize that time wisely. Students at UW-La Crosse seem to understand if they waste their extra time in summer, they are wasting valuable opportunities to gain skills to help them later in life.

Some students look at summer as an opportunity to further their chosen career. UW-L’s Colin Malliet plans on furthering knowledge of his chosen field, “This summer I have an internship here in La Crosse.” Malliet plans to utilize his extra time to develop in his field, as well as experience the city of La Crosse, “I am very excited to have a little more freedom and take advantage of all the things that La Crosse has to offer in the summer!” While some students look to utilize their time to further their careers’, others have different plans.

Instead of working towards the betterment of a career, some students plan on working towards the betterment of themselves. UW-L’s Megan Milbrath has big plans for their summer, “I am starting off my summer going hiking in Colorado for a week, then I’ll be working all summer,” Milbrath has more plans than that though, “I will also be trying to read, pick up new hobbies, and spend as much time outside as possible.” Milbrath plans to experience new things with their summer.

Certain students utilize summer free time to achieve goals they are unable to do during the semester. UW-L student Carly Emmel wrote a grant to conduct undergraduate research in Togo, located in Northwest Africa, “I’ll be going for three months to live and volunteer at a nonprofit outside the country’s capital city, Lomé.” Emmel plans on conducting a women’s health needs assessment through interviews with women about the health issues that affect them most.

“It is my intention to analyze the data I collect to potentially plan a program addressing those prioritized needs, and return to implement it in the future.” Emmel plans to gain invaluable life experience, while simultaneously improving the health of another culture.

Despite the temptation to choose not to be constructive, students understand there needs to be a balance. Bria Lambert is a student at UW-L and elaborated on their plan for the summer, “As a college student, summer in La Crosse is a continuous but worthwhile battle between trying to make money while still enjoying the summer.” Lambert finds it easy to enjoy summer with all of the outdoor activities available in La Crosse.

UW-L students find various ways to constructively utilize their extra time in the summer. Whether it is gaining experience in their career, balancing work with play, picking up hobbies, or acquiring a once in a lifetime experience, there are many ways to wisely spend the extra time in summer. Regardless of how it is spent, in the end, the only way to waste a summer is by doing nothing at all.