relax, play, and spend time with my family. I
never went to summer camp, so my mom had
what we called “Camp Sherry,” named after
my mom. My mom is a stay-at-home mom, and
she would coordinate activities and fun things
for us to do together during the summers. I
remember summers we spent by the pool reading the Harry Potter books, doing arts and crafts
together, going to Disney World as a family
for a weekend or so, or just going out as a family. I was never bored. I was always learning
something in the background too, whether it
be social skills, how to do chores, or about my
autism. (I learned I was on the spectrum one
lazy day during Camp Sherry.) My mom would
schedule times we would do things, or I had
free time, so I would know when it was okay for
me to tune out and play video games or with
toys and not have to engage anyone or be busy
with other plans. Some of my fondest memories
were of arts and crafts times, when we would
make soaps, Perler Bead creations, or when we
would sit out by the pool reading the Harry Potter books out loud. Having a lot to do and having my mom be a pseudo-camp counselor also
made me the envy of my friends, and I always
still smile and get a kick out of saying that I
spent summers at Camp Sherry. (It also sounds
cooler when you’re a kid than saying you stayed
at home.)
Summer Routines in College Life
I felt like my routine during college summers
was a little bit predictable. I took more classes,
so my schedule was still packed and full of routine. However, I took these classes online while
I was back home with my family. It allowed me
to work on more of my own schedule as long
as I met course deadlines, so I was able to have
the routine of school in the background while I
enjoyed getting to write, draw, paint, have fun,
and see family and friends over the summer.
Last summer I tried to enjoy and relax a little
bit more since it would be my last summer of
not having to work or take classes since I was
headed off to law school, and once I am out of
law school, I will be working.
money management. Work also keeps them on
a schedule since jobs require you to be somewhere for certain hours on specific days, and
having extra money is always a perk when you
are in college. Working is also empowering.
Here are some of my best recommendations for summers while in postsecondary
education:
An internship is a form of work experience. It
may be demanding, require you to move, or be
a “dream opportunity;” it may or may not pay
you, and you might get school credit instead of
payment. An internship is a lot like a job; you
show up, get experience, and learn skills that
are practical to what you want in a career outside of the classroom. Also, you get a supervisor
who hopefully is willing to mentor you and give
you feedback on your work so you can improve
in a safe, supportive environment while being
ready to tackle what comes after graduation.
1. Keep taking classes.
Whether or not this is feasible depends on your
financial situation, scholarships, loans, etc., but
if it is, taking classes is a great way not to have
to shift your routine too much. Typically, in
summers the classes are more intense but shorter, and the “downtime” is right after the end of
the semester, much like a shortened Christmas
or spring break before diving back in, so use the
free time much like you would any other school
vacation – relaxing, catching up with friends
and family, or taking the time to do something
you truly enjoy before going back to the grind
of schoolwork.
3. Intern!
Keep in mind that you can probably do a combination of these things at the same time, but
I would try to know what you can handle and
not burn yourself out too much. It is easy to get
overwhelmed, and summer is not the time to be
extra-stressed or anxious and burn out before
the school year starts back up again!
Classes over the summer are also a way to
be able to lighten your course load in the
fall because of the credit hours, or if you
are taking longer to graduate, it might
shorten your time in school. Also,
summer classes have a tendency
to be smaller, so you might get
some more one-on-one interaction with faculty.
2. Get a job.
A lot of people I know
worked over the summer, and in that, they
were able to learn additional adult skills
like budgeting and
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ZOOM Autism through Many Lenses
Haley Moss is a law student at the University of
Miami who was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism at age three. She is an artist and the
author of Middle School: The Stuff Nobody
Tells You About and A Freshman Survival Guide for College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Stuff
Nobody Tells You About.
ZOOM Autism through Many Lenses
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