Parent to parent: A different kind of summer

By Jeff Hudson

The archetypal vision of a college summer might include a resumé-building internship, a confidence-enhancing stint as a youth counselor or mind-expanding travel. Sometimes there’s an opportunity for romance as well.

These things still happen, of course. But this year, many households are dealing with more practical matters — those things that need to happen before the new academic year begins. Perhaps you are dealing with a few of these issues yourself.

My son Andrew is still basking in his recent acceptance into UC Davis as a transfer student in the fall. He is keen to start. In late May, he met with several professors to talk about the fall, including a get-acquainted lesson with UC Davis’ viola instructor.

But before fall arrives, Andrew’s got one last class to complete at the community college — an American history course. This is a pretty common situation. Andrew couldn’t fit this class into his spring semester schedule because of budget-related cutbacks at the community college. Fortunately, as a departing transfer student, he got priority admission for the summer course.

Andrew also increased his hours at his job with a local veterinary information firm — and he is very fortunate to have a seasonal job. So, Andrew’s summer is spoken for, though there will still be time for a few weekend getaways.

As for my other son, Stephen will take two math courses at UC Davis this summer to help meet the requirements for his double major in music and math. Working under his UC Davis cello instructor, he also has a short-term job coaching teenage musicians at a summer program in Sacramento.

What about your student? There are several ways to make the summer meaningful and prepare for the 2011-12 academic year at UC Davis, whether your student is staying at Davis, at home or on the go.

Summer suggestions

• Classes begin June 20 for the first of two Summer Sessions at UC Davis, and students can still register for the first session by paying a $110 late fee. Summer Sessions II begins Aug. 1. Or your student may want to look at courses at other colleges or universities closer to home.
• Your student can get a head start on next year’s selection for the Campus Community Book Project. The book is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, a semiautobiographical novel by Sherman Alexie, which won the National Book Prize. The book project — which began as a means of promoting campus dialogue on diversity in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — will include events throughout the academic year, and the author will visit UC Davis in April.
• The Internship and Career Center is open throughout the summer. The center hosts resumé clinics, interview tutorials and workshops. The center’s website also features a section called "Life After Davis" for recent graduates, with links and resources for additional cover letter and resume advice, job search tips, and graduate and professional school guidance.
• Summer should also include some time for fun, and, unlike past years when the Mondavi Center took a summer siesta, there are ticketed concerts for Jazz from Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis on June 18 and Pink Martini on July 5.
• If your student isn’t taking classes but is still living in Davis and wants to stay in shape, the ARC offers summer memberships that also include access to the Rec Pool. Registration begins June 20 for summer classes at the Craft Center; two classes — photography and sewing — begin late this month, but most classes get under way in July.
• And if reading a book in the refreshingly cool, shaded surroundings of the Shields Library sounds appealing on a hot summer afternoon, the library is open Sunday through Friday in the summer. My son Stephen, on his own initiative, read John Milton’s Paradise Lost last summer. As a recovering English major, I was rather impressed that a music and math major would pick that particular text. Anyway, the library is a great place to chill on one of those 100 F summer afternoons, and we always get about a week of those each summer.