Even though these are the months that all college students live for, (no 9 am classes, no all nighters to finish that 15 page paper, and no professors emailing you about the number of absences in their class..) it is important to make sure that you use this time wisely and stay focused. This is especially true for rising seniors. There are a number of steps you should be taking in order to prepare yourself for your upcoming graduation. Although it seems like it is sooo far away, it will spring up faster than you can ever imagine. Here are a couple things that you should definitely accomplish this summer and within the first few weeks of your first senior year semester:

1. Check Out Your Tracking Sheet

Make sure that all of your classes are in order! Be sure that you are up to date on all of your courses and you are scheduled to take the remaining courses in the correct semester. Forgetting to check your tracking sheet at least once a semester is just begging for disaster. If you are unsure of something contact your advisor immediately! Which leads to my next To-Do.

2. Contact / Meet With Your Advisor

Whether or not there is something wrong with your tracking sheet, you should be meeting with your advisor on a regular basis. Advisors are there to help when YOU come and seek their council. Your college advisor is not meant to act like your parent away from home. You advisor will help when you ask for it but will not come chasing after you. Having a healthy relationship with your advisor will pay off in the end because once they know you better they will know how to best guide you, especially when it comes to searching for companies and places to apply to for your post-college career.

3. Join Extra Curricular Activities / Land an Internship

Joining a club or starting at an internship can be very beneficial in multiple ways. Being in these two social settings can help you meet new friends, network, and vamp up your resume. As much as you probably want to hang with your best friends and make plans for the weekend or catch the weekly marathon of your favorite show, MTV's The Hills or a weekend away from campus are not necessarily going to help you once college is finished. Of course it is great to spend time with your friends and relax, but this must be balanced out with activities that are actually going to benefit you in the future.

4. Update Your Resume

Be sure to maintain a regular upkeep of your resume along with your contacts list. It will be easier to make the changes gradually rather than the morning of your all important interview. Also, try to keep a printed resume on you at all times, you never know when a professor or advisor will ask if you would be interested in having them send your resume out to an important contact of theirs. Also, have friends or someone at your college's writing center read over your resume and contact list to make sure that everything is in order. The last thing a possible employer wants to see is a grammar mistake on a resume!

Just because these are your three months of freedom doesn't mean you should drop everything! Doing a little bit of work here and there throughout the summer can go a long way during the school year!

"Gold Coast Winter" courtesy Paull Young via Flickr Creative Commons