<p>So I was just wondering what exactly is the adcom looking for in this essay? Is it just to see that you didn't sit on the sofa for 3 months, or do they want you to have done something incredible like work on some project or cure cancer??</p>
<p>Uhm. Just briefly describe each thing that you did. If you cured cancer, then kudos. If not… then just write about that.</p>
<p>Isn’t it kind of late to be able to change your answer to this question anyway?</p>
<p>If you can cure cancer between now and the application deadline then, by all means, yes, go ahead and do it, even though it wouldn’t qualify as a summer activity now.</p>
<p>What if the kid is Australian?</p>