<p>I'm currently in my second year of what's looking like a five-year plan as a mechanical engineering major. I've done internships the past two summers at a federal lab, though outside the area of my career focus. Next summer I could really go for a "gap summer" -- i.e. just take the summer off, not working. If I do so, that would still leave me two more summers when I can look for more focused internships before I graduate.</p>
<p>Does that seem reasonable? Apart from taking classes, is there anything I can do next summer that would help from a resume point of view without eating up all my time?</p>