What Should High Schoolers Be Doing This Summer to Get Into College?
Summer, that magical season!
Here in New England, we treasure the warmer temperatures, the lush greenery and the chance to cool off in our lakes or the ocean. We feel we earn our summers given our long, cold winters. Where ever you live, I know you savor the longer days and slower pace. Summer is a time for both restoration and a little bit of fun.
How to Make Summer ‘Count’ Towards College Applications
If you are the parent of a high school student, you also wonder how your child can make the best use of their summer with an eye towards college. One of the more common questions I receive from my client families is “What do colleges want students to do with their summer? What looks good?”.
And in fact, there are many options from which to choose. There are wwoofing trips, where students can learn valuable leadership skills outdoors, pre-college courses, like those offered by Brown University, some of which even may earn a student credits towards their eventual degree, or enable them to skip prerequisites. There are many camps for sportier folks (see: Target Soccer Academy) as well as arts enrichment programs, like this pre-college intensive studio art at Tufts University for those who want to hone their talents. There are research opportunities, like those hosted by Lumiere Education, and international travel opportunities to travel abroad through many organizations, including EF schools. There are also local volunteer opportunities, job shadowing, personal projects to build a portfolio (which some specialized programs may require), and of course, there is paid work.
What High Schoolers Can Do This Summer
Wwoofing or other outdoor trips
Pre-college academic courses
Pre-college specialized enrichment programs
High school research opportunities
International travel and study abroad
Local volunteer opportunities
Job shadowing
Creative projects for portfolio building
Paid work
What Will Make My Student Stand Out in College Applications?
As with much about college admissions, there is a lot of advice about which one might best help your child stand out. Many of the options are fabulous. Before parents spend on what can be pricey opportunities, they want to know if their investment will be worthwhile.
And my answer, which is my answer about most things having to do with how best to prepare for college admissions, is this: engaging in opportunities that are authentic and based upon interests (or even necessity) are not only the key to better college applications, more importantly, they are the key to a happier high school life. And leaning in to what is most personally important in life is kind of essential. Don’t you think?
“Engaging in opportunities that are authentic and based upon interests are the key to strong college applications”
— Betsy Veidenheimer
But there is so much anxiety around developing a strong “resume” that parents lose sight of this. I once had a parent of a private school student ask me if they should forgo the highly competitive journalism program at Northwestern University to which their child had been admitted for work in the local pizza parlor so as not to look too entitled.
Should My High Schooler Get a Summer Job?
I’m all for paid work. Personally, I wasn’t given the choice in either my high school or college summers. If I wanted money for myself, I needed to earn it. I had some really fun jobs and some very unglamorous jobs, and they all taught me many things that I carry with me to this day, including how good it feels to draw a pay check. In fact, most of the students with whom I’ve worked have held paying positions at some point during their high school years. Most of these jobs are far from impressive, but they show qualities that are - responsibility, team work, humility, time management, how to interact with adults or younger children, and for many students, how to financially contribute to their families.
Students Should Base Their Summer Around Their Goals
Some students want to learn more about a particular career and are able to secure internships. Other students are deeply committed to certain causes and devote their free time to volunteering.
When I help students develop their college applications, we work on crafting their personal story—one that feels true to them and their passions. Having experiences to point to that demonstrate their interest can be helpful in telling that story. So it’s important to make sure that however your student spends their time this summer, it aligns with their true passions, or helps them along their way of discovering themselves and what it is they want to pursue in life.
Does Summer Camp Look Bad on a College Application?
As a college admissions expert who has seen many students gain acceptance to college after spending all their high school summers at camp, I can assure you that being a camper for a final summer, a counselor in training or a junior counselor are viewed positively by colleges. Many camps not only allow their campers to explore activities they’re passionate about, they also build key leadership traits like teamwork and adaptability. Working at the camp they’ve attended is a natural progression and often is the first paid position a student will hold. Whether it is a day camp or a sleep away one, being responsible for younger children is a key mark of maturity.
Are Paid Summer Programs Worth it?
If your family is in a position to pay for tuition- based summer programming, is it worth it?
Here are some questions to ask.
Does your child have a curiosity or academic interest in the opportunity? Or are you choosing a program at a particular institution, because you mistakenly believe it will enhance your child’s chances for admission there in the future? (My student did attend Medill Cherubs, was not admitted to Northwestern but pursued journalism in college. It helped crystallize an interest. It was not an edge in admissions.)
Does your child have an academic course load during the school year that makes it impossible to take all the courses in which they have interest? This is especially true of STEM oriented students, particularly those with an engineering focus.
Is the opportunity replicable without paying for it? Research opportunities are widely available to those students with a little hustle. I do not believe it is necessary for many students to pay for the privilege of being on a research team, especially those students near colleges, universities or major medical centers.
Does your child live to sing, dance, perform, or create art? Does the freedom of summer enable them to do that thing they love in a more intensive way?
Is your child a recruitable athlete who needs to be involved in their sport and attend visibility camps? Or does your child have a deep interest in a sport that a summer sports opportunity can further develop?
The One Red-Flag Colleges Don’t Want to See on Your Resume…
The truth is, the only bad choice is to do nothing with your summer. Colleges are seeking students with curiosity, real interests, community engagement and the ability to work hard. They also look for autonomy, independence and responsibility. Summer is the chance for them to grow in these areas.
In Conclusion: Summer is to be Enjoyed.
Summer should also be fun, and so my advice is to ask them how they want to spend it and then encourage and support them to pursue whatever activities allow them to have a little joy. After all, summer is a magical season.
