Many students and parents see summer as a break from school that should be used to recharge and relax before the rigors of the next school year—but summer is actually a key time for college-bound students to set themselves up for college admissions success.

What Do College Admissions Officers Want To See?

We know that admissions officers value grades, course rigor, and test scores when it comes to admissions decisions, so it might seem like summer is a break from building those college application credentials. However, colleges also highlight their holistic admissions processes, meaning that they look at the applicant as a whole and not just a series of numbers. This means that admissions officers seek applicants who are not only excellent students but also compelling individuals.

In fact, in annual surveys, 70 percent of admissions officers say that a student’s character attributes are important in the selection process. They look for evidence of a student’s character beyond their performance as a student, paying close attention to how students use their time outside of school.

Summer is a Chance To Stand Out

While students can—and should—demonstrate their interests and values through things like extracurricular activities during the school year, summer offers amazing opportunities to really explore, develop, and learn. Many applicants spend their summers poolside or perfecting their gaming skills, but your child can stand out of the crowd by dedicating their summers to experiences that result in personal growth.

What Activities Are Worthwhile?

Because colleges practice holistic admissions, there isn’t a magical list of ideal activities for every student. Instead, it’s best to take a very personalized approach to summer planning. The goal for each summer break should be to engage in activities that encourage personal discovery and growth. Such activities showcase your child’s unique interests and passions, demonstrate a desire to explore and grow as an individual, and create compelling stories for the all-important college essay later on. Let’s take a look at some of the options available.

Formal Summer Programs and Camps

One go-to summer opportunity for many students is a formal summer program or camp. For example, many prestigious colleges offer high school summer programs geared toward students with particular majors or academic interests in mind. Hundreds of colleges have pre-college summer programs, including such renowned schools as Stanford, Georgetown, University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard. Let’s look at the pros and cons of these types of formal summer programs.

Pros of Summer Programs

• Activities like summer programs or camps are easily recorded on a student’s college application.
• Many of these activities are widely recognized as being selective, such as summer programs through prestigious colleges.
• Summer programs that allow students to stay on campus and/or study with college professors give students insight into the college experience.

Cons of Summer Programs

• Depending on the size of the program, many other college applicants will also be able to cite this same activity on their applications—it can be harder for formal activities to help students stand out.
• These activities can be expensive, leading to access issues for underserved students. This can impact the value a college places on these types of activities.

Beyond Formal Summer Programs

There is a world of possibilities outside of formal summer activities! Students can list informal activities alongside their extracurricular school activities on their college applications. Engaging in less formal summer activities can be a way to help stand out from the crowd. Let’s look at some examples:

Passion Projects

Without the demands of the school year, students have the time and space to explore whatever interests them. Colleges love to see applicants who have taken advantage of this opportunity to indulge in their passions! A passion project is anything that takes time, self-discipline, and motivation to accomplish and that helps a student explore or develop an interest. A history buff might create a blog/vlog delving into their favorite period of history. A future author might take the summer to write a novella. Whatever your child’s interest, creating a plan to further explore and develop that interest over the summer can create valuable (and unique!) experiences.

Volunteering

Gaining an edge in the college admissions process is just one relatively small reason for volunteering their time in the service of others, but it’s certainly the case that colleges seek students who are actively engaged in giving back to their communities. The key to making summer volunteer work really enhance a college application is that the work feel meaningful to the student. Volunteering just to check an item off the college application checklist isn’t impressive, but volunteering for a project that the student is truly dedicated to (and might even pursue beyond high school) can really help an applicant stand out.

Summer Jobs

A summer job can be a great experience! Even if the job seems unimpressive or unrelated to a student’s major, colleges value student job experiences. Working a summer job teaches teamwork, self-discipline, and personal responsibility.

College Application Checklist Items

Summer can also be a great time to complete some of the key checklist items for getting ready to apply to college, especially for students who are rising juniors or seniors.

SAT or ACT Prep

As test scores gain importance in the college admissions process, test prep is increasingly important for students hoping to compete for admission to selective colleges. Summer is a great time for SAT or ACT prep because students are able to dedicate more time and focus to boosting test scores without the demands of the school year. Rising juniors can get a head start on test prep so that they can potentially finalize their test scores during junior year. Rising seniors who haven’t reached their score goals can take advantage of the summer to prepare for summer and fall test dates ahead of college application season.

College Visits

If your family is travelling during the summer, detour to visit a few colleges along the way. Campus visits are extremely valuable as students consider their needs and wants in a college. Visiting a wide variety of schools—including those that might not be anywhere on your child’s prospective college list—can help both you and your child get a better sense of what’s available in a college.

Application Essays

Rising seniors should spend a lot of time during the summer working on their college application essays. Depending on your child’s college list, they may need to write anywhere from two or three to several dozen essays. Taking advantage of summer to work on drafts allows your child to focus on essays without worrying about schoolwork. College essays are unique writing assignments and require a unique writing approach—consider a college essay summer program to help your child craft essays that will really stand out.

Students deserve to relax during the summer, but they also need to keep their focus on their future goals. By leveraging summer to get a head start on college admissions, your child can improve their chances for admission at selective schools while also accomplishing meaningful personal goals.