<p>I'm a sophomore in high school, and I wonder if students are really expected to be super active in the summer? I spent last summer in summer school for a boring required course, but this year I want to actually do something. However, people tell me different things. Some say that a summer program is practically mandatory, while others tell me that focusing on studying for SATs is more important, and I'm sort of confused.</p>
<p>A lot of programs sent me brochures and emails after my PSAT came out, but they seem expensive and pretentious. People told me that there's no point in going to Stanford or Harvard for a summer course because thousands go every year. Yet, one person told me that they believe one of the reasons they got into an ivy league was because she went to summer school there. Super selective programs are hard for me to get in because I haven't done anything significant in any field, but I don't want camps that just anyone can attend because I am at the top of my class.</p>
<p>Another issue is I haven't decided what to do with my life yet. Most courses offered seem to focus on science/engineering, which I'm interested in but not seriously considering for my major. I want to be involved in business, but don't know if I should take business major, and in any case business camp don't seem ideal either because they mainly focus on speech and theory. I would like to experiment with different things, but don't want to appear like I have no idea what I'm doing. Would it be a total waste of time and money if I take classes that don't go with my final decided major and make me seem like I flit about and don't have a focus? Should I wait until I decide where I'm going in life?</p>
<p>*So basically, do camps at famous colleges really give you an extra point in the admission officer's eyes? Is it better to do a mediocre-quality or side-interest summer program than not do one at all? Is there any programs that you would recommend for me or people in general to try? Also, how do internships and volunteer programs look compared with summer education programs?</p>
<p>Sorry about the wall of text, but I would just really like someone to clear up this confusion or just share their experiences with summer programs. Thank you in advance.</p>
<p>They’re not mandatory…just recommended. And some prestigious camps do look great on college apps. I recommend LEAD at UPenn. Just browse CC for more. I don’t know about internships though.</p>
<p>You should try going to a business camp at the college you want to go to. Most of the time, it looks good on your college app. And it’s okay if you still don’t know what you want to major in. Like you said, try different things. Not all business camps are focused around speech and theory.</p>
<p>It is important to do something with your summers, but expensive programs and camps certainly aren’t required. Working is well respected, and volunteering is good, too. Travelling or getting involved in community service can give you experiences to highlight in your essays. </p>
<p>For me, summer activities definitely gave me a boost in college apps. They also helped me decide what sort of colleges to apply to and what majors to consider. I went to a selective NASA program in Puerto Rico (free), a chem seminar at Columbia (expensive), and I picked up some college credits at Colorado College (cheaper than my regular college credits will be and a pretty good preview of LAC life). This summer I’ll be working.</p>
<p>A summer program is not about having a nice resume to send off to colleges. It is about learning, experiencing something new and enjoyable, and assisting in your career choices.</p>
<p>Just pick a subject; you’ll either: a. be more interested in it or b. see that it’s not right for you. Don’t go for an internship if you aren’t sure; you could get stuck doing unenjoyable work for eight weeks.</p>
<p>In my opinion, if you’re shooting for the stars, you have to figure out what the stars are exactly first. Dream of going to a specific selective university? Look up what sort of summer programs they have to offer. Once I read a bunch of books, visited a campus, and talked to a bunch of people, I now have a good idea of what they are looking for. They don’t want the A+ student who has no clue what they want to do and no unique extra-curriculars. They want passionate, driven people who don’t live out of textbooks. Exclusive colleges want a diverse student body. They want to be able to look at your application and say “hey, this is something we haven’t seen before.”
In my opinion, if you can afford to go to an academic summer program of some sort (or get financial aid), go for it! You can learn so much about what you want in a school. You can also meet the student body and see what kind of people they are. Are they entrepreneurial? Talented? or just an A+ kid who tries ridiculously hard in high school but has no passion?</p>
<p>Gotta find your passion…find what interests you, then fly with it. Now is the time to immerse yourself in the wide variety of different activities/subjects in this world and see what you like best!</p>
<p>P.S. to answer your question more specifically, I think a combo of all three would be the best. Have a few volunteer organizations whom you are involved with for many years–don’t go on a summer trip to Africa type thing–the former shows you have real heart, not tons of money (like the latter). Internships show that you are a strong competitor and have talent; summer programs show that you are really serious about that particular university and hey, wouldn’t a professor recommendation letter be worth every penny? If you can, do all three it’ll be worth it in the end!</p>
<p>Summer should be about working and earning money even if you don’t need it in your family. Why? Because unless you actually get out there and get a job and have to show up day after day, you won’t understand how the world works. Working shows that you are reliable, determined, not relying on your parents, self-sufficient, and will result in many valuable real life experiences, no matter how dull and boring it is.</p>
<p>Volunteer also. Make a difference in someone’s life. Whether it’s at a camp, senior citizen community, mentally challenged youngsters or adults, or even babysitting for someone, you can do something for someone else. It’s not always about you, it’s about what you can offer others.</p>
<p>About the summer programs. We went the high priced programs route with our first. She travelled abroad, learned languages, did leadership courses in medicine, even went on outward bound experiences. By our second we had learned our lesson. She worked and volunteered. By the third we mixed small amounts of travel with EMT course, volunteering in a hospital setting, working for pay at a camp and office, and SAT prep course. </p>
<p>Whatever you do, make it the whole package. If you have great SAT, skip the prep course. Volunteer and work, they will be whole sections on your application, and not to be ignored. Especially the working. If you can travel for culture, do a small amount. Don’t write about it on an essay. </p>
<p>If you have an interest in something, try to find work/internship that applies. If you can’t, volunteer. There is nothing worse than an application which just demonstrates how many enrichment experiences your parents could afford. Not everyone can. It is how you demonstrate what impact you will have on others which is going to make a great application. Good luck.</p>
<p>I disagree that one should spend his or her summer working. It seems to me that increasing one’s experience through education is preferable to jumping right into an internship or summer job, especially as working at a restaurant, supermarket, etc. isn’t really beneficial in the long run (unless one plans to do that as a long-term career).</p>
<p>That is your opinion. It’s a fairly stereotypical response for high striving students and parents to assume that education is desirable in the summer as well as during the school year. But that is what your college is going to be for, education. You can take advanced math, science, engineering, languages at the college level. </p>
<p>Summers should be to experience something different. Working is highly desirable on resumes for college. Why? Because you actually took responsibility for something, earned money, showed up day after day, and did something maybe completely mundane for you. Yes, you can learn languages via Rosetta Stone at home. You can even open up a math or science book and teach yourself the material if you are a star. But nothing is like the day to day grind of going out into the world and seeing life firsthand. </p>
<p>Summer is what you make of it. If it’s more education, your resume will be lacking. If it’s volunteering, good for you, that’s important. If it’s working, that shows you are a person who values service to others in a different sense. You can set aside your pride and bag groceries or help at camp or babysit and step away from yourself as an intellectual long enough to see what the rest of the world does.</p>
<p>We have heard from college admissions repeatedly that working is highly valued. If that section is completely blank and you have never held a real job, good luck. You are going to look like the many other college hopefuls who never saw the light of day outside of the classroom. And your application is not going to stand out at all, no matter how many awards and AP credits you have.</p>
<p>I have to always advocated doing something you feel passionate about, not do something just for the sake of how it looks on college applications. My younger D was very frustrated even in some of the clubs she was part of in high school, because many people didn’t care that much for what the club was about, and frequently got officer positions solely for “how it would look” on college apps. That left the people who really cared about the club to do the work.</p>
<p>In our case, both DDs went to CTY through Johns Hopkins) for multiple years, because it was something they REALLY wanted to do. It was a CTY course after her 8th grade that convinced DD1 of what she wanted to study in college…and she’s now deciding between what Ph.D. program to enter in the same field. DD2 took entirely different courses, and again loved being with people who really truly loved to learn. When most of high school was spent being not “cool” if you were intelligent and studied a lot, being comfortable with a group of people similar to you was extremely valuable. When not doing CTY, we had the opportunity to travel to some far-flung places during the summers. We were of the opinion that they will have their adult life to work, and we wanted their high school years to be about “experiencing”. DD2 went to CTY for fewer years, instead going with her father to some adventurous trips…Incan Trail, hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro…experiences that were extremely important to both of them.</p>
<p>In the end, the decision needs to be based on what works best for you and your family–something that you can sincerely be excited about doing–which will show through in college apps, essays, and interviews. Don’t do something you don’t enjoy just because it will “look good”, regardless of how much it costs.</p>
<p>If summer program encouragement is coming from the student, bravo. We had one child who really wanted to take an EMT class, passed it, and is now nationally certified. We had another student who we convinced to take the Student Leadership in medicine, and behold, it convinced her not to go into it. Another took a language summer program immersion experience at her dream school, only to get flat out rejected later. So the value at least in our opinion is variable.</p>
<p>All the above can be helpful if the student feels the drive to do it, as the previous parent said. But way too often the parents are encouraging the students to do something with their summers so they can say they are doing it. The students don’t really know if it is something they want or not. And yes, they both think it will help with top college admissions. </p>
<p>Travel is great experience. True you have your whole life to work. But I firmly believe the students should start early and get a summer job. If that is mixed with a little travel, great. Volunteer also. But work is work, and most type A plus parents don’t feel the students should be subjected to it. We didn’t expect it with our first. We did expect it with our second and third. Working teaches the students responsibility which no travel or summer course will teach. That is, after all, our opiinion. </p>
<p>And I must add that we had three students who were accepted at top colleges and are all doing just fine. The ones who have work experience know the value of their hard earned money and the one who never worked does not. It’s a lesson parents can learn in high school, expect the most from your students. Not just academically, but in life.</p>
<p>I’m a big fan of internships. They teach you the value and importance of sometimes mundane work but still provide a bit more intellectual and resume stimulation than burger flipping. </p>
<p>At my internship with the governor, I had a lot of unique experiences that I talked about on my college apps.</p>
<p>I just sent an email. I recommend sending emails to political offices or nonprofits youre interested in working with. Most places love free work.</p>
it’ll be worth it in the end!</p>