Is it bad to not have any summer programs/activities the summer before junior year?
I applied to SAMS (at Carnegie Mellon) and only had time to scrap together an application for one local internship in my area but got rejected from both. Recently I’ve been attending a 5 credit class (9 weeks long) at the University of Washington for a week, but the commute has been so tiring (around 4-5 hours, roundtrip) that I’m thinking of dropping the class. Is it bad to not have a summer activity before junior year? If I do decide to drop the class, I’ll spend the rest of my summer doing driver’s ed, SAT prep, summer homework (for 6 IB classes next year), creating art hopefully for the Scholastic Art Competition, and visiting LA for a week (I’m probably going to tour UCLA and USC, while I’m there).
Are there any recommendations for any summer activities that I could still participate in this summer, preferably near the Seattle area and especially if it’s related to environmental conservation and sustainability?
A 4-5 hour commute per day does sound unsustainable for 9 weeks of your summer. Is there a similar class/program at a local community college?
Have you considered taking a summer school class at your high school, to knock out a graduation requirement that isn’t your priority (perhaps health, PE, history) and open up a slot during the school year where you can take another elective related to environmental conservation and sustainability?
Would you be able to find a regular paying job near home? It doesn’t have to be related to environmental conservation and sustainability. Colleges like to see that you’ve held a paying job.
As you’ve learned, it’s important to start researching summer programs EARLY. Start looking by December for next summer since applications for most competitive programs will be due in Jan, Feb or March. Make sure you are applying to a handful of different programs/internships (not just 2) and include at least one less competitive option where you’re likely to be accepted as a back-up. Lucky for you, the majority of programs are for rising seniors, so you haven’t missed out.
I think as long as you can show you were doing something productive the summer before junior year, you’re good.