A tale as old as time: it’s mid-semester, and one finds herself compiling endless mental lists of stuff to do once school is over. While it’s hard to imagine a time that isn’t filled with weekly CAS emails or MLA-formatted material, the dream of days filled with possibilities of activities remains far away.

Then, before one knows it, it’s the middle of summer vacation. All those summer to-do checklists have faded from memory and days seem empty and meaningless. The newfound freedom once craved so badly is being wasted and one watches helplessly as days are slowly crossed off calendars.

Do not fear, fellow student, for the Talon staff is here to help those wanting to maximize this break. Below are some suggestions about what to do this coming summer:

MC Otani: Learn how to program, and watch horror movies.

Paula Schulman: Travel to Europe with friends.

Fernanda Fiszner: Jump off a cliff.

Julia Marangoni: For the summer, I recommend sleeping, a lot of sleeping. Catch up on TV shows, movies, and best-selling novels. Learn how to scuba dive—it’s summer!—and go see colorful fish in crystal-clear oceans! If you’re staying in São Paulo, visit a museum. There are many around the city. If you’re leaving São Paulo, spend as much time getting to know the world because one day we’ll be adults and we’ll be out on our own alongside seven billion more people, so you might as well get to know it now.

Julia Lee: Try reading a whole new genre of books.

Anoushka Gandhi: Get on track with all the TV shows and movies you’ve been meaning to watch because you will never have this much time ever again.

Sylvia Yang: Explore the world.

Luis Wolfrid: If you ever get tired of sleeping, do some personal projects. You feel me? Record a rap song, write a zombie novel, film a Shrek tribute. Do something you usually don’t have time to do. Something you can be proud of.

Michael Borger: Eat some celery, burn some calories, and binge on the cloudy days.

Rafa Goldlust: Intern! It was one of the two best things I did last summer, and interning definitely helped me understand what I wanted before applying to college.

Gabriel Civita: Take interesting courses at a dope university.