Early grads have options for free time

With the first semester coming to a close, there are many seniors that are deciding that they want to graduate early. They will need something to do while they are waiting for colleges to open up admissions or get employed. 

So while they have free time at this point in their life, it’s time to give ideas out so that they are not bored. Starting off the list is a simple yet effective one to occupy one’s time, and that is to get a part-time job. It does not have to be anything extravagant, just a simple job that will give money to allow savings for when going to college or getting a car, and the best part is that you can keep that job during college and just adjust your availability times.

The next option is to volunteer at an animal shelter or community food security/distribution, and there are many historical community organizations that you can volunteer at and teach the history of the Cedar Fall/Waterloo area. This is a simple and fun alternative to a way to spend your time if you don’t want to get a part-time job, and at times you can do both. The good thing about volunteering for something is most of the time you can do it for one year, and if you get a job or start college, you can just not sign up the next year for the volunteer group and carry on your way.

The third and final option is more out there than the last two. This option is to go traveling. There may not always be things to do in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area, so make a road trip and go to the Mall of America. They have stores, restaurants, amusement park rides and even a Lego store. You could also head to the Iowa City/Coralville area, which is full of different stores or activities to partake in like the Coral Ridge Mall in which you can find almost anything to preoccupy yourself for the day. There is an ice skating rink, and if you don’t have ice skates, well, head to one of many sports stores in the mall and buy a pair of skates. There is a movie theater that also connects to the mall, so you spend two to three hours watching a film, then head over to the food court which serves most large food chains. 

All in all, there are a lot of different options to spend an early grad’s extended break, and this list was only a small portion of the fun and eventful things to do around here, and this does not even count the multiple festivals and sports that go on throughout the year.