Spend time with your family
It’s easy to think of college as an opportunity to finally get away from your overbearing or annoying parents and siblings, but once you move out, you’ll probably find you miss those you’ve been trying to leave. Take the chance this summer to make lasting memories with your family and set aside time for family movies, games, or activities.
Go to a concert
June concerts include Louis Tomlinson, The Weeknd, and Usher; July brings Olivia Dean and the Yacht Club Festival; and Noah Kahan, Ed Sheeran, and Tame Impala are coming to Minneapolis in August. The tickets don’t have to be expensive to be enjoyable, either—basement shows and niche-artist concerts could lend you a new favorite band.
Go on a road trip
The drive to Chicago is eight hours, Voyageurs National Park is five hours north, and Duluth is a mere two and a half hours away. A weekend away from Edina is a cheap vacation for you and your friends or family and totally customizable for whatever experience you desire.
Get a job
For many Edina students who were financed by their parents throughout high school, life as a college student will be a harsh reality. College tuition is expensive even without the lure of adventures, food outside the dining hall, and shopping. This summer is an opportunity to accumulate disposable income without interrupting or distracting from collegiate academics. A job could be the difference between the college experience you dream of and a year stymied by insufficient funds.
Go camping
Minnesota isn’t the land of 10,000 lakes for no reason. With 64 state parks, two national forests, and one national park, senior summer is the perfect chance to immerse yourself in Minnesota’s gorgeous outdoors before college. Bring friends along and form bonds that will last for life—there’s nothing that solidifies a high school friendship more than sleeping in the middle of nowhere together for a week.
Reset your sleep schedule
While the school year brings the constant pressure of tests, homework, and extracurriculars, the summer brings the opposite: freedom. It may be tempting to use that freedom to sleep all day and stay up all night, but a strong sleep schedule will put you ahead of your peers and help you maintain a healthy amount of sleep even after syllabus week ends. Non-seniors, take note—this applies to you too!
Spend time outside
Minnesotan summer is a beautiful thing, and it’s best experienced in the sun. Go hiking on a nearby trail, take a trip to a friend’s or the city pool, or even take a hammock nap in the sun. Even the most trivial, daily activities can be improved by some sun; take your games, books, and your social media scrolling to your backyard!
Plan your college dorm
Of course it’s fun to think through your dorm layout with your future roommate, but this is a practical task to tackle. Instead of leaving everything to the last minute, use your summer to pick which clothes you’ll bring to college, research and accrue the necessities you might not think of, and avoid the stress before you leave.
Learn life skills
It’s boring, but it’s completely necessary. Your college dorm doesn’t have your parents there to do your laundry, cook nice non-dining hall meals, or clean your room for you. Practice living independently while you still have a support system to help you instead of calling your mom every day of your first week of college.
Reflect and set goals
The point between high school and college offers a pivotal moment for you to learn and grow from your mistakes. Before you leave for college, consciously think about mistakes and regrets from your high school career, brainstorm habits that help you self-regulate, and then set goals for yourself to improve in college. As a bonus, begin setting your habits now!
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on May 19, 2026
