Summer Activities to Boost Your College Application ☀️

Hey y’all,

I know it’s only February, but let’s quickly talk about the summer, especially since the weather is finally getting warmer—and by warmer I mean 50 °F. (That’s 10 °C for my international folks.)

Many students applying to top colleges pursue an activity each summer—such as an internship, a job, or a passion project. Although you can figure out your summer plans later in the spring, I highly recommend you start planning… now.

Why? Because the deadlines for various summer programs are creeping up or have already passed. Plus, last-minute panic planning is never fun.

With that, here are some summer activity ideas:

☀️ Apply to a Summer Program

Summer programs are a great way to pursue your academic interests and showcase intellectual vitality on your college application.

Fair warning, however: not all summer programs are created equal. Avoid the ones that charge thousands of dollars or seem too good to be true.

The deadline has passed for several prestigious summer programs, such as MITES, RSI, and TASS, SSP, and Mathcamp.

However, applications are still open for PROMYS (though they close in three days, so hurry up if you’re interested).

📚 Take College Courses

If you don’t have the time to participate in an intense, multi-week summer program, taking summer courses is another great way to showcase your subject-specific interests.

You can either look into courses offered at local colleges, or you can enroll in pre-college summer programs. Some examples include Berkeley Pre-College Scholars and Yale Summer Session.

Taking summer courses can help you earn college credit, save money on tuition, and explore potential majors.

🤝 Volunteer

Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community while highlighting the issues that matter to you.

Instead of pursuing several volunteering gigs, focus on one or two that resonate with you.

For example, if you're interested in environmental science, volunteering at a community garden stands out more than helping at your local library.

🍔 Get a Job

Getting a summer job is a classic way to showcase maturity and responsibility in your application—and of course to save some extra cash before college.

You can get a fast food job, become a lifeguard, or even pursue babysitting. Admissions officers are more interested in what the job says about your character than the job itself.

💼 Intern

Like getting a job, interning is also a great way to enhance your college application.

Unlike a summer job, an internship typically pertains to your academic interests. For example, an internship might allow you to explore biology research or computer programming.

However, internships are often competitive and hard to find for high school students. You may have to tap into your personal network to carve out opportunities.

🔨 Work on a Passion Project

Finally, working on a personal project is a great way to boost your application. You can build websites, start a business, work on an organization, and much more.

Whatever you choose to build, pursue a project that's meaningful and fun to you.

I often get questions about the “best extracurriculars” for college, so hopefully this newsletter provided some clarity.

Also, if you want study help, come join my Discord! We have a global community of students helping each other succeed in school. I’d love to see you there.

I’ll see you next week!

Best,
Gohar