With the school year wrapping up, it will soon be time to start thinking about what to do during the summer. However, if you find that you’re the type of student who quickly becomes overwhelmed by all of the freedom and power that has been gifted to you, this short list may give you what you need to get started. 

Hold a videogame contest: 

If you’re sick of the sun, stay home and hold a video game contest! Connect with your closest friends/enemies online or in person. There are many games out there that allow for two or more players to experience together. Some of these are focused on cooperative team-based gameplay, but some of the ones listed below might ruin some friendships.

Mario Party: In this long-running series, you can take control of your favorite character and compete in all sorts of events similar to board games. 

Exoprimal: This game releases in July, and it is Capcom’s first attempt at a dinosaur-themed multiplayer arena shooter. Take control of one of the futuristic characters as you blast away dinosaurs spilling out of interdimensional portals.

It Takes Two: A co-op game for two players. Teamwork is critical in this game. Both players will be given a role in the game’s expansive levels and must adequately perform their tasks to progress. People with a date will also find the plot intriguing, as it focuses on a struggling couple trying to mend their divorce. 

Run…a lot:

How fast is your 5K time? If you have no idea, the next few months are the perfect time to find out. Find a nice park, road, or neighborhood to run in, and start the timer. You can run to shave off time or take it easy and focus more on distance. Here are a few challenges:

See if you can beat your previous time by a minute every day. Set a distance, and continue running that distance faster.

See if you can run a quarter mile further each day. It doesn’t matter how long it takes; just see if you can run further. 

If you live in a big neighborhood, run its entire perimeter thrice. 

If you finished the last challenge, see if you can run around the neighborhood at least three times under a specific time limit (caution is HIGHLY ADVISED).

Participate in Community Service

So your service hours were due in May. This year, you were either the student who was on top of everything and already met the 50-hour requirement, or you took it easy this year and decided to spend your time elsewhere. Either way is acceptable, but more hours are always a good thing! Schedules can get busy during the school year, so summer is the perfect time to meet the requirement. Additionally, if you thought the video game contest was a good idea but are worried about your parents telling you to go outside, you can use that to your advantage! Continue the competition in the great outdoors; see who can rack up the most hours by the end of each week, month, or summer! 

There are a few organizations that PDS students have worked with in the past, such as the Arts Council of Princeton, the Watershed Institute, and Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS), but here are two challenges for this category:

• Practice your writing skills and apply for an opportunity! The ones listed above only require volunteers to sign up but try to contact places requiring a resume or a form to participate and commit to that opportunity. 
• See if you can make at least five new friends when doing any service. It can be terrifying, but starting a conversation with someone could turn those few hours of work from being a chore into the experience of a lifetime (just make sure to get people’s numbers at the end!).