With a little more than a month of the semester left, students are starting to think about summer. They’re figuring out where they’re going to be, planning vacations and finding out if they need to take classes.

Many students are at MSU for at least four years, including three summers between the first semester and graduation. When it comes to summer plans, there are several possibilities.

Students can get a job or internship almost anywhere, relax at home for the summer, take community college classes, go on a study abroad trip or stick around East Lansing.

Although having a study abroad or internship is always a useful and exciting way to spend the summer, I recommend students spend at least one of their summers in East Lansing.

While working at Snyder and Phillips Hall last summer, I became closer with my co-workers and more attached to my job. Like campus, the dining hall has a lot fewer people in the summer, so it’s easier to get to know them.

I also enjoyed exploring campus with two of my friends who stayed over the summer. We found new places to hang out and different structures to climb.

Whether you take classes or get a job in the city — or both — every student should experience campus in the summer.

In those months between semesters, MSU and East Lansing turn into different places. There are far fewer people, which gives students a chance to get more involved in the East Lansing community.

The lack of people creates a more intimate setting throughout campus, making it easier to approach fellow students rather than be overwhelmed by the hundreds of people who constantly surround you during the fall and spring semesters.

Campus is also beautiful in the summer. Aside from MSU’s gardens coming into bloom, the whole campus comes alive. Our campus is filled with plants and trees that show off their best side in the summer.

The beginnings and remnants of these are seen at the start and end of the school year, but they truly blossom in the summer.

There’s no better time to explore campus than in the summer. The weather is warm and no one is around, so it’s the perfect time to spend a day walking around campus. Get to know the nooks and crannies, discover new parts or find things you never knew were there before.

Of course, MSU’s campus can be a little bit dull in the summer, but as long as you’re taking a class or working, you’ll make new friends and actually have time to hang out with them. And maybe you’ll have a little bit more money to spend.

So whether you have a job here, need summer classes or just want to hang out with your friends in East Lansing, make sure you spend a summer here getting to know the community and the campus.