Bridge U article:

🧑‍🎓 Learn new skills and gain industry knowledge 

Internships offer a fantastic way to gain industry knowledge and develop transferable skills, with the choice of in-person or online.

✍️ Take on a Research project 

Summer research programmes and projects are a great way for students to demonstrate skills and their ability beyond what their test scores and grades reflect. Research projects allow students to further develop skills, such as critical thinking, analytical and evaluation skills to name a few!

Students can create their own research projects to show initiative as well as their willingness to take on a challenge which will help them stand out in university applications. 

Join taster courses

Experience academic life and get an insight into studying a particular subject or subject area at university. These courses are offered either on campus or online.

Research universities and compare research notes with your friends

University research doesn’t have to always  be an independent activity, it can also be teamwork; knowledge sharing is caring! Meet with other peers who are also doing their research and exchange your findings to get the most out of it.

📖 Read lots!

Reading is a great way to pass the time as well as develop their knowledge and creativity! Why not assign a task for students to create a summer book log using Goodreads? You can also encourage them to think critically about the books they are reading and post a review.

If your students are stuck for ideas on what to read, here are some great recommended books that are suitable for young adults from reputable sources, many of which we have read ourselves and enjoyed. 

• The Time Magazine has a list of 100 Best young adult books of all time. 

• Bill Gates has a blog where he writes book reviews, he recommends The Magic of Reality, A Separate Peace and The Catcher in the Rye and for young adults 

• The Big Read is another excellent list of most loved books;  

• And of course, Audible a great way to digest a lot of books if your students prefer audiobooks

Learn a Language

Gaining or expanding your linguistic skills can keep you academically challenged during downtime but can be very useful to add on your CV/LinkedIn profile for the future! And if you can’t attend classes, there are lots of resources to learn online and many online platforms out there to support learning a language.

Add new experiences

Whether these experiences are relevant to your university research or not, any new experience provides the opportunity to gain both hard and soft skills, which can be beneficial in both academic and professional settings. For example:

• Volunteering: Not only is volunteering a rewarding experience, but you will definitely develop new skills such as organisation and planning, relationship building, time management and teamwork!

• Start a new hobby: Challenging yourself to start a new hobby can not only be fun, but it can also help with time management and self-discipline