Hello. My son is currently a high school junior. For next summer before senior year he could go on a teen tour, do a community service program in Costa Rica or some other country, take a college program, or, he could go back and be a counselor at the sleep away camp where he was a counselor and CIT for 7 or so years. Being a counselor I think shows a level of responsibility that the other option don’t show.
Any thoughts n one option versus another?
Thank you in advance.
It’s hard to beat the summer camp counselor option, especially if he has increased his responsibilities and “made a difference” over the past years.
Colleges’ summer programs vary. Know the difference between a selective program and one that’s just trying to fill space in unused dorms. If he got in to one of the better programs, it would also be a good choice.
Admission officers sometimes look at teen tours and volunteer tourism negatively. “Sometimes” meaning when they reek of privilege and can be superficial (unless your son has spent years studying Costa Rican culture or something like that). He could do those things anyway if those activities are extremely meaningful to him and he can knock it out of the ballpark when he explains why. Just don’t do them as a one-off thing to impress an AO.