Hello guys im a rising junior and im just curious whether this summer would be good enough. So far I have 1 summer program(cancelled the other one cause i dont want to miss the last week of school), which is the SLE west point program. This will be a week long right before my summer ends, so technically I have nothing to do in the summer except finish ACT, subject tests, compete internationally (tentative), work as a lifeguard, and complete my ranking in boyscouts. I really want a research oppurtunity, but it seems like only 1 month summer programs offer taht, which i cant afford. So, am i good with this plan so far or should i do more? And what about the research project I hope to do. I have contacted professors and they have not responded. thanks
I think you are doing enough, colleges just want to see that you’re doing something with your summer rather than just binge-watching Netflix (although that is an important part of summer too). Don’t worry about summer research programs, deadlines passed about 2 months ago. I don’t really have any advice on finding a local research mentor, but I’m sure there is a thread about that somewhere. And if you still want to do more but can’t find a lab, just volunteer at some science-y place like a nature center, hospital, planetarium, science museum, etc. depending on your interests.