Ah, summertime. The long awaited break from the rigors of academia during the seemingly interminable haul between September and June. Time to sleep in every day and finally get to new levels in all your favorite video games and indulge all your other couch potato fantasies. Right? Um, wrong!
The last thing you want to do in the college admissions game is be a complete couch potato over the whole summer. There are plenty of productive, meaningful, and FUN things to do between final exams and back-to-school BBQs that will give you a feeling of accomplishment AND impress college admissions officers. Here are a few ideas:
- Follow your passion. If you play an instrument, summertime is a great opportunity to take your playing to the next level. If you’re into acting, perform in a play. If you like technology, design a game or smartphone app, build a website, or assemble a computer. If you’re into writing, grab a pen (or iPad, laptop, or any other writing device) and start a blog or submit pieces to websites and newspapers and magazines. You get the idea. Admissions officers look for students who are DEEP into what matters most to them. Use the summer as an opportunity to advance those activities that really float your boat. (Maybe it’s boating?)
- Get a meaningful job or internship or volunteer gig that’s meaningful to you . This becomes part of your “personal narrative” in college applications, whether you write about it or not. While finding and keeping any job in this economy can be considered a coup and shows a certain level of responsibility, admissions officers would prefer to see applicants with jobs/service/internships/community in fields that make sense for them. If you’re into sports, try landing a position at a local gym or recreational center, become a CIT or counselor, or coach a local team in a summer league. If you’re into computers and such, try getting work in some organization’s IT department (like a school, or company, or non-profit). Getting a job in a field that interests you gives you a leg up not only in the admissions game, but also in the real world after college. It’s called a resume builder.
- Take a class. Do you ever wish that your school offered courses in photography or geology or astronomy or painting? Check out the universities and continuing education programs in your area or online and sign up for a summer class. This sends a clear message to admissions committees that you’re sincere about your particular interests.
- Travel. Family trips, teen tours, camping and backpacking, etc., are great ideas, especially if they tie into some academic or other intellectual interest. If you’re a history buff, arrange a trip to Washington, D.C. or Boston, MA, or Philadelphia, PA. If you’re into art, check out the world-class museums in NYC. If you’re into geology or nature in general, spend some time in the Rockies or a state or national park. Taking a luxurious trip to the south of France where you beach it and enjoy the local personalities and cuisine isn’t as impressive as one that ties into an area of genuine interest—unless, of course, you study French language, history, art, or architecture ;-).
- Read and write. If you’re planning on going to the beach or, say, the backyard hammock, for a good chunk of the summer, read some books and keep a journal. Start a blog. The last personal essay prompt on the Common App is completely open-ended—”Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design”–and gives you an opportunity to write about a particularly meaningful book or character. Wouldn’t it be great to write about something inspired by a book you chose to read over the summer? This SHOWS without telling (one of the keys to a good college essay) that you have some genuine intellectual curiosity and firepower. That’s a good thing in this game. Remember no matter where you apply to college, it’s an institution of higher LEARNING. Not of higher sports, or higher socializing, or higher video gaming.
- Expand your vocabulary. Even though the current SAT has replaced traditional vocabulary with “words in context” items, having a large, literate vocabulary is still paramount for success in college and…wait for it….success in the real world after! See, for example, “Higher Vocabulary ~ Higher Intelligence ~ Higher Income = Reading Matters.” Dig into Princeton Review’s Word Smart, spend some time on Quizlet (see Quizlet.com: Fun, Free, and Effective), and you’ll be amazed not only at how much better you’ll do in school, but also at how much easier and more enjoyable school and college will become!
Bottom Line
Enjoy your summer. You have our permission to sleep in and be a couch potato for a few days after final exams (but, please, check with your parents before throwing me under the bus). Hopefully, you will have earned it. But make responsible choices about how to spend the rest of your summer and choose activities that are both fun and productive and push your candidacy forward in the college admissions game. Summertime IS a reward for working hard all school year, but then doing something that moves you along your path—wherever it leads—will reward you when you go back to school next fall…and when you apply for admission to college!
Related Links:
- What Are Good Summer Activities For College Admissions?
- 7 Summer Activities That Will Impress College Admissions Officers
- Summer Tips Video
- Painless Ways to Get Ahead this Summer
- Summer Reading
- The Steep Decline in Teen Summer Employment in the U.S., 2000-2010 and the Bleak Outlook for the 2011 Summer Teen Job Market