In response to Vaibs' request, I think it's really worthwhile to start planning what you want to do over summer and I would definitely recommend the freshmen to start thinking about it as it is never too soon to do so. While the summer break is meant to be a time to relax, the time can also be used to learn new things at the same time. An internship would certainly allow you to learn a lot and add value to your resume. It might be hard for a freshman to get one but it is not impossible. I’m sure you all have heard this before, but you should leverage on the connections your family has in trying to find internships.
For me, I interned at J.P. Morgan, Malaysia in the Equities Research department over the summer. I have to say that I was pretty lucky in getting the internship as the guy in charge was actually looking for a fresh graduate as an intern. However, he decided to interview me and I somehow managed to convince him I was up for it. The hours were long, which meant less partying (you learn to deeply appreciate weekends), but I really enjoyed the work and learned a lot.
Another thing that I would have done if I had not gotten an internship was to study abroad to learn a language. I would have loved to spend my summer in Spain learning Spanish. Personally, I feel that the cultural immersion would be the best experience of summer school in a foreign country and makes it totally different from learning the language at Cornell. Seeing how China’s influence on the global economy, you might want to consider learning Chinese (if you don't already know it) as it would be advantageous.
Above all, just remember to allocate time to have fun and relax over summer.
