College Refocusing: Stay on same track? Change things up? A bit of both?

-Study less. Seriously. Just keep yourself above a 3.0.

I should've mentioned this in my OP -slaps self- but.....

I do have a merit scholarship at the institution I'm attending. And its worth a LOT of money, and allows me to attend that institution as an out-of-state student (think affordability). Lets say its worth $10,000 a year. And to receive that scholarship, I'm required to maintain at least a 3.2 GPA. Which means laxing on my GPA is a massive no-no.

And tbh I have no intention of repeating the same mistake of getting mediocre GPAs in college.

-If you've never had a paying job of any sort before, you might want one. The only way it could hurt you is if your time management is truly atrocious. Campus jobs are nice because they accept the fact that your education is more important than them. Bonus if it's relevant to your major. If you can't study less and stay above a 3.0, don't get a job.

I was thinking about getting an on-campus job (maybe working in the dining halls) for the semester, but I'm just afraid about the ripple impact it would have on my resume. Though, the scheduling flexibility that comes with on-campus jobs is nice, can't deny that.

-Think local for political internships as well. Less competitive, I bet. I've got a psych major friend planning on hitting up law school who had an unpaid internship last semester for a county judge. One thing I know he did was serve Court Summons now and then. Dunno what else was involved. He had connections! His girlfriend's dad knew the judge. Connections are good. Ask around.

I did ask around for local internships, but they don't seem to be everywhere. Hopefully in the near future I can talk to someone who knows the right people to talk to for those internships

Do you have any plans for graduate or professional school?

Yes I do! I do plan to attend grad school for political science a few years after college, and maybe go for a PhD later down the line, but at the very least, I do plan to earn a masters degree.