With only a few more early mornings left for school, there is one thought that has crossed many students’ minds: “The closer I am to summer means the closer I am to relaxation and freedom.” After a period of AP exams and finals, brains go into relaxation mode, leading to a general feeling that a two-month break from learning is necessary to survive. However, much like the period of intense exams, this need for the brain to rest is also temporary. According to an April 2011 article from U.S. News & World Report, learning and further enrichment in the summer are necessary to give the brain what it needs, even though they may seem terrible right now.

While finals week and AP exams may seem to be mentally insurmountable, remember that they are merely temporary periods of mental stress and tests for mental endurance. According to a report released by the RAND Corporation in 2011, the average summer learning loss in math and reading for American students amounts to one month per year. In order to prevent extra learning loss over the summer, it is necessary to participate in mental enrichment over the summer. A New York Times article from 2011 states the general public cannot afford to spend almost 10 months per year devoting enormous amounts of intellect to learning and then walk away from it every summer. Even though Americans cherish the notion of summer as a time of relaxation, learning over the summer is crucial in order to retain the information learned over the school year and keep the brain active and healthy.

Summer internships and learning programs are also great opportunities to gain some skills and experiences that translate directly to the real world. For example, students who participate in research internships over the summer can learn how to set up a professional chemistry lab, collect data for real-world use and work effectively with others in order to create the most efficient lab designs. Though schools do provide learning opportunities to students, the aforementioned U.S. News & World Report article states, “You don’t know what the day-to-day experience of working in your field will be like until your first internship experience.” Even if you have gained a lot of knowledge in a class and received a 5 on an AP exam, the true knowledge test is to apply the skills gained in a classroom in a real-life setting. Colleges also love applicants who have gained some real-world experiences outside of the classroom. Interning or participating in something educational over the summer helps students learn to translate their classroom knowledge to real situations and actually reinforces concepts taught in classes. So in reality, they are relearning what was taught to them during the school year, when they didn’t even mean to learn anything.

Your brain might be shutting down from the rigorous testing these past few weeks, but remember that this period of suffering is only temporary; your brain will want to learn more in order to keep healthy. So, please try to participate in something enriching during either this summer or future ones for your own brain and your future and more successful self.