It’s almost the end of the fall semester and if you’re a high school student, you’re probably starting to study for final exams or dreaming about the winter break that follows them. But don’t forget that the winter is usually when students plan on how to spend summer break. Summer is an important time for extracurricular activities. If you haven’t already planned out your summer, do so now to give yourself the best mix of productive, engaging activities and fun relaxation.
For students interested in business
If you’re interested in business, taking advantage of your summer break is crucial for the college application process. If you have the time and can afford it, admission into a competitive business pre-college summer program will not only add to your resume, but give you an experience to write about in your college applications.
Some programs you could look into are LaunchX, Young Sustainable Impact, UPenn’s Leadership in the Business World, Athena Summer Innovation Institute at Barnard, Berkeley Business Academy of Youth, and Business & Leadership Immersion at Georgetown.
You could also start your own business. Colleges appreciate young leaders. To stand out as a business major, consider starting your own business, LLC, or non-profit. Business schools like to see that you have vision and business-minded goals, and starting your own project is one of the best ways to demonstrate your leadership skills. Starting an initiative on your own, however, can feel overwhelming.
The easiest place to start is by looking at your own community. What are some facilities that need developing in your neighborhood? Is there certain technology that your school lacks? What is something you’ve always been passionate about but don’t have access to in your area?
Ask yourself questions to narrow down your interests and solicit information from members of your community to find out what initiative you can start to stand out as a resourceful leader.
There is a whole world of options when it comes to thinking about what you might want your business to include. To narrow down your choices, ask yourself the following three questions:
- Which subjects and areas are you most passionate about?
- What do you think your community lacks or would benefit from the most?
- Where can you see yourself thriving in the future?
You need to be observant and open-minded throughout your brainstorming process. First, think critically about what kind of entrepreneurial idea you’re hoping to initiate—are you interested in creating a service or a product? You might have a skill that you want to market, such as babysitting, cooking, or computer repair. Any of these could be turned into a business, such as a babysitting group for hire in your neighborhood, a catering service that helps out with events in your community, or fixing computers in your school or area.
Another big part of exploring your idea is to know your target audience. Consider who you’re planning to market your product to and how you can help those people. Some factors to consider:
- Demographics – Would your business focus on a particular age, ethnicity, or social group?
- Location – Do you have to think about the weather or infrastructure when planning your business? What location would be ideal for your business?
- Profession – Would your service or product appeal most to people who possess certain skills or work in particular fields?
Make a checklist to ensure that you don’t miss any of the necessary steps. You also need to comply with local laws in your area;different cities have different protocols for running a company that you need to be aware of. If you know someone who’s an attorney or accountant, consult with them about how to figure out the various financial technicalities. They can inform you about any legal procedures you need to know about, tax forms that you’ll need to fill out, and permitting steps to take before launching your business.
Once you have your products or the means of executing your service, it’s time to brainstorm how to spread the word about your business. Your first thought might be social media—and naturally so, because using Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok can very quickly promote your product or service and get the word out.
If you’re passionate about business and can get creative with your ideas, starting your own business initiative is a great way to give yourself a jump-start in the business world and demonstrate your prowess in the field.
For students interested in engineering
Research is often one of the most effective ways to immerse yourself in any field, including engineering and the summer is a great time to do that. Seeking out research opportunities outside of school shows your initiative. Look for research internships for high school students, especially over the summer, or find a lab or a research center at a local university and talk to a professor about joining their team. You might even find an opportunity in the specific niche within engineering that interests you. Not only will you learn a lot about the topic you’re researching, you’ll also have an impressive experience to add to your Common App activities list.
Engineering summer programs, usually hosted by colleges and universities, offer high school students the chance to engage in the sciences and apply their knowledge of STEM toward real-world problems. These programs are a productive way to spend your school breaks while gaining research experience. You can also receive mentorship from engineering professionals and esteemed professors. Some well-known and competitive programs include Research Science Institute, Engineering Summer Academy at Penn, Smith College Summer Science and Engineering Program, Stony Brook University Garcia Summer Research Program, and California State Summer School for Mathematics & Science (COSMOS). Applications for these pre-college programs are often due between December and February, so plan ahead!
For students interested in pre-med
Take advantage of your summers to build your application profile around activities related to medicine. Seek out work in medicine-related fields if possible. Students can often achieve this through an internship or a research project. Hands-on work in the field can help you stand out to admissions officers. Seek such opportunities with university researchers, research institutions, or organizations that focus on STEM. Ask your local hospital if they have any opportunities for you. Start your own volunteering initiative in your community—some project ideas could include cases of a certain illness in your neighborhood, measuring pollutants in a local river and its impact on communal health, or a program encouraging your friends and neighbors to get their flu shots.
For students interested in creative writing
There are fewer more effective ways to show that you’re a dedicated and strong writer than writing your own longer piece of work, and summer is the perfect time to do just that. Without a hectic school schedule, you’ll have plenty of time to outline what you want to write and get started. Whether it’s a novel, a poetry collection, or a series of short stories, take advantage of those long summer days to write and edit your own original work. It doesn’t have to end in the summer either.
If you’re a writer, but don’t want to work on a longer project, literary journals provide a great outlet for showcasing your work. While you need to submit quality work, there are many literary journals out there that receive and publish high schoolers’ writing. If you want to take it a step further—especially if you’re someone who’s more keen on building your editorial skills—you can start your own literary magazine and put out a call for submissions. Think about what theme or mission would make your journal unique. There are literary journals dedicated to numerous topics, from architecture to Taco Bell, so you can really get creative!
For students interested in social sciences
If you’re interested in the social sciences, you have a world of information to work with—literally. For instance, if you’re an aspiring history major and there is a particular time period or region whose history really interests you, why not conduct a research project looking up certain niche topics within that area or region? Or if you’re interested in economics and political science, you could research how the economy of the country has been affected by certain political climates. Once you’ve finished your research, you can write a paper and seek out a journal where you can possibly even get published.
You could also conduct an oral history project or take on a creative project that combines the social sciences and the arts.
For students interested in the arts
Whether you’re a painter or a sculptor, summer provides the perfect opportunity for visual artists to work on their portfolio. You could spend this time working on a series of related pieces, or you could delve deeper into learning new techniques that will expand your repertoire. If you’re happy with a body of work you’ve created, you can even organize an art exhibition in your community. This could be solo or involve other local artists who can all contribute and help plan the event. Not only would this showcase your artistic talents, you’d also hone teamwork skills.
For those hoping to improve their skills in filmmaking, why not put on a directorial hat and make a movie about a subject you care about? It could be fictional—with a script that you dedicate part of your summer to writing—or it could be a documentary on a local or global issue. If you’re more theater-oriented, working on a play would help demonstrate your strengths. Look and see what opportunities are available at local theaters. Whether you work on a film or a theatrical production, recruiting members with a strong skillset can build leadership skills, as well as providing you with a team that can bring your vision to life.
How you spend your summer is important for your college applications, and it helps you learn more about yourself and what your interests and strengths are. There is no one way to spend a summer that colleges prefer, or that “looks better” on a college application, as long as you are engaged in something interesting, challenging, or meaningful in some way. Your activities list and supplemental essays will provide opportunities to elaborate more on how you spent your time—so be prepared to articulate the impact you made as well!
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