How to Stay Active at School During Summer Semesters

By Christy Flom on July 22, 2015

One thing many college students have on their bucket list for their four years of undergrad is to stay at school for a spring and/or summer term.

Living on a campus without the every day hustle and bustle of students is an entirely different experience. While attending a college that has a great town or city near it definitely makes the experience even more worthwhile, taking spring or summer classes at any college can be a fantastic time.

No matter where you attend college, there are plenty of activities available to students in the summer who are looking to stay active without the stress of a full school load. From yoga classes at a nearby studio to taking a nice stroll around campus, simple forms of exercise can go a long way towards staying in shape.

If organized activities sound more enticing, try out summer leagues of intramural sports. Typical summer league sports include soccer, volleyball, and softball. These team activities are one quick and easy way to get outside and stay active with friends.

Being on campus during the summer can be the best experience of your college career but it can also get a tad lonely. So, trying out team sports is the perfect way to meet new people while also enjoying time with other friends. A particularly neat aspect of intramural sports is that you can join a team where you do not know a single person or create a team of your own with other friends.

Image by Omega Man via flickr.com

I have yet to play an intramural sport in the summer but one of the best experiences I have had during college is intramural soccer. I was invited to play by a friend of another friend who I had never met, seen, or heard of before. Yes, it was a bit intimidating showing up to a random field in Ann Arbor searching for people without knowing what they even look like, but it turned out to be awesome and we are all friends on Facebook now.

Aside from intramural sports, there are also club sports. While there are not many club sports that are active during the summer, it is a great time to start looking into the different teams available throughout the regular school year and to train towards that team.

For example, most schools have club running teams. Running is one of the best and easiest ways to stay active. Grab a pair of headphones and some music and get going. Whether you choose to take the scenic road course or head to the gym to hit the treadmill, running at any pace can do wonders for your endurance and health.

Running alone may not be your cup of tea so try working out with a friend. Coming from someone who thinks everything is better with a friend, working out with a friend can be extremely beneficial. For starters, you have a struggle buddy, a.k.a. someone who may dislike running as much as you do but knows that it is something they need to do a couple of times a week. Finding a friend who runs the same pace as you is like finding a needle in a haystack so once you find that person ditch your significant other and hold on to your running partner for life.

Image by Joshua Sortino via Unsplash

Other than running to train for competing as an actual runner on a club cross-country team, running is a good way to train for other club sports. Soccer tryouts for the large majority of schools are right in the fall before or during the first week of classes. Going into the season in shape will make conditioning much easier during the season which is yet another reason people should run during the summer.

There are endless types of ways to stay active and to further your enjoyment of a summer term at school. That one credit class you decided you desperately needed to take during the summer will be money well spent if you’re willing to get out there and try new activities. With slightly less entertaining social events occurring at nearby bars and clubs, there really is no better way to spend your time than trying a new sport, class, or activity.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format