What Should I Do this Summer?
What should high school students do in the summertime?
As we approach the winter months, it is the perfect time for high schoolers to start planning for next summer because those three months out of school offer a unique opportunity for personal development.
Should you work as a camp counselor or lifeguard in your hometown or instead “build your resume” at an elite— or just high cost— academic summer program? What about traveling abroad with a service group or working for a parent’s business? To answer those questions, let’s back up and think about what your goals are in light of these two perspectives:
1) What should I do for my personal development?
2) What will help me look attractive to colleges?
I urge all my students to think about pursuits first from a personal development perspective and second from a college admissions perspective. In fact, the first question will by its nature take care of the second. The activities that enrich you will add to your college portfolio because they will present a picture of you that is a story the admissions committee can understand.
So, ask yourself, what is my story, and how do I want to write it?
What should I do this summer if I have a specific academic or professional goal?
If you are one of the lucky students who knows your goal, then you should take aim and prepare. My hope is that if you spend your time well, you could write what one of my students did in her supplemental college essays this year:
“The plan to become a veterinarian has been the throughline of my life, and I have spent the last several years preparing for a career in veterinary medicine by taking the most advanced science and math courses available in my high school. I have also designed my summers to be spent learning about and caring for animals.”
This student not only took the right coursework for her path but sought out and volunteered in multiple relevant internships at veterinary and pet care practices. This helped her refine her goals and get experience that helped her articulate the Why for her college essays.
What should I do if I don’t know what I want to do in college?
If, on the other hand, you don’t know an exact path (and why would you?), just keep following your curiosity where it takes you. Explore what interests you now with an eye on where that will take you next. Do the THINGS— absorb all the experience you can, as that is what will teach you your next steps.
What if I need to work or take care of family members this summer?
First, let’s be real about money and opportunity cost. Sometimes teens have more than their own welfare to consider: many high school students need to earn money for the future or even to support their family in the present. Families also may rely on teens to help care for grandparents or younger siblings and cousins. All of these are important considerations, and they are a huge positive on the college application. Do not worry that spending your time caring for or supporting others will detract from your application.
How do I represent family work and responsibilities on the Common App?
The Common App includes a series of checkboxes to indicate family responsibilities like elder care and working in a family business in the Context and Background section. Also, the activities list includes line items for paid work and family responsibilities. My experience is that colleges look very favorably on students who step up to help their families.
Which High School Activities Really Matter for College Admissions
I don’t need to work. Should I pay for a pre-college summer program instead?
Generally, no, but specifically, sometimes. Families often feel the need to spend thousands of dollars on summer programs to fill the summer months because we think the programs impress college admissions officers. That’s not a good reason for enrolling in these programs, because most of these are not in themselves impressive. A rule of thumb is that if you are paying a lot of money, an admissions committee isn’t impressed by the program just by the fact of it. Some of the most well-respected summer programs are no cost or low cost.
Does the program build on an interest in a way that demonstrates this to a college?
If the program offers learning or enrichment that builds on a student’s interest in a unique way, however, it can be useful. Just taking a pre-college program at Brown over the summer is not itself building a case for admission to an Ivy league college. On the other hand, taking summer after summer of accelerating coursework at a college to prepare for pre-med courses can make sense for the right student, especially if she is coupling it with real-world learning, like volunteering as a junior EMT. I have also seen students build skills not available through their high school, like coding and robotics courses to prepare for a computer science major.
Does the program give me experience that I could not obtain in other ways?
Other programs that can be useful are those for developing special arts skills , such as at a summer program at Berklee or NYU, or portfolio development for visual art or architecture. When my high school junior’s school recently cut the engineering electives, he took a Materials Science course at a local college to gain experience he could no longer get at his school.
CTK College Coach Pro Tip: Students can make connections with faculty at these specialized programs, though do your research, as some schools hire adjunct faculty for the summer who will have no real connection to the college admissions process.
Does it matter that the school offering the program is “elite” or in the Ivy League?
Some summer programs that are held at selective colleges are themselves selective and may carry weight in the admissions process. These programs include the Stanford summer math camp and MITES at MIT. In most cases, though, you should consider the merits of the program much more heavily than the location at which it is held. In fact, many summer programs are run by third party vendors that simply use the host space and are not otherwise affiliated with the college.
What if I need a break from academics this summer?
I am a firm believer that life is not just about work. Ideally, kids aren’t just hanging out watching YouTube all summer, but taking a break from academics to try out a new skill or work a job is a great way to take a breather from the typical pace of life. One of my favorite types of summer activities is when students travel to their parent’s home country. They pick up language skills, deepen family relationships, and learn to appreciate a whole other way of experiencing the world. I have had many students not only travel but also volunteer in a home country for several weeks, and that can be incredibly rewarding.
How do I demonstrate my interest/experience in a particular academic subject?
Think about the summer plan in the context of what you want to do next. If you have a specific area of interest, academically or otherwise, this is an ideal time of year to dive deeper as you write the story you want an admissions officer to read. You can take a course at a community college, volunteer, or create your own program. I have seen students do lots of creative things, and my experience is that colleges are particularly impressed with self starters. Take these ideas for example:
Planning to pursue teaching? Start a summer camp with friends to serve local families
Are you entrepreneurial or have a special area of interest? Volunteer or run a business to teach younger students using your special skill (coding, music, soccer, etc.)
Do you want to serve your community and even build your work portfolio?
Make a weekly or monthly commitment to a local food pantry– even better, use your social media skills to help coordinate and promote the work of the place where you volunteer.
Start a business to raise money for a cause you care about
Use your Girl Scouts Silver or Boy Scouts Eagle project to serve a need that matters to you
Are you interested in studying history or politics? Canvas for a local election or volunteer for a local candidate’s office
Are you pursuing a particular technical major? Get ahead and gain skills on your own or through coursework: build that drone in your garage, teach yourself a new coding language, or work at your local department of public works to gain construction skills.
Whatever you do, do what matters to you, and don’t be afraid to pursue your own path. The ideas above are just a jumping off point. Get out there and live your best life, through work, service, personal development, or helping your family.
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