If you’re doomed to spend this summer on a couch in your sad hometown, you probably already know that deadlines for summer internships have whizzed past you. But Northwestern has your back — at least for next year. Our school and seven other elite universities have recently formed the Internship Network Consortium to help undergraduates boost their resumes. Similar to Monster.com, the consoritum allows potential employers to list internships that students can sift through. Applicants can also post their resumes on the Web site, making it even easier for certain companies to hire kids from only big-name schools.

If you just want to stay in Chicago this summer, consider CNN’s warning after the city experienced 36 shootings and nine deaths last weekend: “Now there is a growing fear that Chicago could be in for a long, bloody summer.”

Or you could receive a Congressional scholarship one day, just like five Northwestern juniors. Appropriately on Earth Day, juniors Samuel Schiller and Nikolai Smith were named Udall Scholars for their work as committed environmentalists. René Boiteau, Ryosuke Kita and Tami Lieberman clinched Goldwater Scholarships for their scientific accomplishments.

Still worried about money for this summer? You could start a business in the old Gary Poppins location that closed earlier this year. We need something to fill the void left by the once-pervasive smell of every-flavor popcorn. Just test the business ground by signing up for the Business-Law Conference at Northwestern that will explore how business and law intersect.