“What should I do this summer?”
There is one thing we recommend every high school student do during the summer break and that is to be intentional with your time. Be intentional with the activities you participate in; be intentional with the work you do; and be intentional with your rest and recovery. It is important that you don’t neglect the rest and recovery piece during the summer as it will help you avoid burnout the following school year.
For many students, when they ask their college counselor, “what should I do this summer?”, they are really asking “what will look best on my resume when I apply to college?” Every student has different interests and aptitudes, different goals and aspirations. There is no perfect summer activity that will serve as a golden ticket to any particular college or university. Shawn Abbott, Vice Provost for Admissions, Financial Aid, and Enrollment Management at Temple University (and former Dean of Admission at NYU and Director of Admission at Stanford University) has pointed out that NYU’s summer programs for high school students “carried little weight for the admissions committee.” Summer programs at universities can be wonderful opportunities to explore potential interests or dig deeper into interests you’ve already developed and that is how you should choose how to spend your summer. What would you be interested in doing this summer if you weren’t going to be applying to college? Do that… but do it at a high level.
If you are looking for summer programs that will help you explore your interests, check out our calendar which lists many such opportunities.