College Admissions: Last-Minute Summer Strategies
Monday, June 06, 2011
Summer vacations will start soon, and many teens still haven’t made plans. The dismal economic news this week makes finding a summer job less likely. Yet colleges still want to see students busy and productive every summer in high school. So, here are some last minute options to make the most of your summer vacation and impress admissions folks:
Take a Course
If your school doesn’t offer AP classes or you have been locked out, consider taking an AP course online this summer. Keystone offers most AP courses at a reasonable rate. I recommend taking a one semester course like Micro Economics or Government, rather than a full year course—the summer is short and a full year AP course may be a bit too aggressive. There are also an array of different courses open to high school students at community colleges and at pre-college programs on campuses, like Brown and BU. From astrology to zoology, summer courses can be different and interesting. Check with your guidance office to see how the credit or grade will be handled, but you can also have a transcript sent from the institution to your colleges at application time.
Volunteer/Intern
There are dozens of opportunities to build your community service resume or try out a career. Check the local volunteer boards like www.volunteermatch.org . Recent postings include environmental volunteers, museum guides
and camp counselors; there are many great organizations that need help. Think about what you love, whether it is painting or playing soccer, and then approach local non-profits or companies in your area to see if they will take you as a volunteer or intern.GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
Do College Applications
The time for rising seniors to do college applications is in the summer, NOT in the fall when they are deluged with coursework and sports. Admissions officers can spot a rushed application from a mile away, and truly great essays go through multiple revisions before they are ready to be submitted. Spending a few hours a week in the summer writing essays, filling out apps, preparing your brag sheet and creating a website if you are an athlete, artist or musician—will really pay off at acceptance time.
Find Your Passion
Ask a college admissions person what differentiates top candidates from the rest of the pack, and they will usually tell you that it is a demonstrated passion for something. It could be music, theatre, a political cause, the environment, history, sailing, mountain climbing, animal rights, or anything else. But hanging out with your friends is not considered a passion. So, try something new this summer - take a sculpting class, learn to sail or row crew, work for a political campaign or go to theatre camp. Choose an activity that you have always wondered about, but that your friends or school have prevented you from experiencing. Just get out there and try something new that you have always wondered about, but that your friends or school have prevented you from experiencing.
Summer is a time to have fun and wind down, but just a few hours a week pursuing a couple of the activities above can really help you be a more attractive candidate for colleges. Don’t be the student who is stumped when they are asked in a college interview, “So, tell me how you spent your summer this year and last year?”
Cristiana Quinn, M.Ed. is the founder of College Admission Advisors, LLC which provides strategic, college counseling and athletic recruiting services for students. www.collegeadvisorsonline.com.
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