What do you think about my summer????

Colleges & Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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<p>So I know that what students do in the summer affects their college admissions, MIT has a summer activities section and all. I got accepted in this really cool program at Michigan State University, where I will get to learn about nuclear physics and even conduct experiments at the cyclotron, the particle accelerator at MSU! I think this would probably look good on my app because it is kind of a rare oppurtunity and less than 100 kids got into this program. Am I right? Also my school couldn't fit AP Spanish into my scheduale next year so I will be self studying that, mostly just because I like being able to speak another language and I don't want to stop learning it, I may not even take the AP test...Thoughts?</p>

<p>Lately, I have been getting more and more interested in art. I was wondering what you guys think about this. If I were to do a lot of drawings this summer and try to teach myself to paint, and I put a sort of portfolio together...should I submit it along with my app? Would this be helpful to my hopeful admission assuming my grades and test scores and all are up to par?</p>

<p>Lastly, any suggestions or thoughts about my planned summer activities? I would really like to fill it up with a bunch of cool stuff!</p>

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<p>I volunteered at canoe camps and went camping over the summer… In other words, I don’t think you need to do anything particularly groundbreaking. Summers are for doing happy things you don’t have time to do during the school year. Explore random interests, read good books, write a novel, I dunno.</p>

<p>Nuclear physics sounds really exciting, not because it looks good on an application but because it’s nuclear physics. I would definitely go. :)</p>

<p>Spanish is also very exciting. I took Spanish classes in high school and now go to a different Spanish-speaking country every spring break–studying Spanish turned out to be one of the best valuable decisions I made in high school.</p>

<p>Art is fun–you could take summer classes at a local studio, maybe. If you’re really interested in teaching yourself I would recommend deviantART: [deviantART:</a> where ART meets application!](<a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/]deviantART:”>http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/) For a while I was interested in photography (and I still am, but not enough to plan on doing it professionally) and I got a lot of valuable critique on DA when I posted stuff. You can also learn a lot just by browsing the site and reading what critique other artists give each other.</p>

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<p>^ Yeah, definitely go for things you’re interested in. Trying to get a laundry list for MIT to look at isn’t a good plan.</p>

<p>Over summers, I had a job, did more riding, learned how to fly… guess that’s about it ^.^</p>

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<p>You learned to fly. Well, that’s not extraordinary or anything. =p</p>

<p>But actually… Fly what, exactly? I got to steer a very small plane once, and the amazing view of our tiny town suddenly turned into a doll house surrounded by mountains that were suddenly not way above my head really got me interested in it. Did you get a license? How were you able to get lessons?</p>

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<p>^ I mainly flew in a Cessna 152, though had to fly in a 150, 172, or 182 a couple of times (because no one owns a 152 anymore, I’m switching to a 172). I flew a Diamond once, though, but that was mainly for the lols and not an actual lesson.</p>

<p>I got a solo endorsement/solo’d, so I can fly by myself under certain conditions, but I have yet to get my private pilot license. I’m actually working on getting my written exam done over the summer, and maybe taking my practical next summer. As for lessons, there’s a small airport nearby with a flight school, you can google for some close to you :)</p>

<p>I never really think of flying as something extraordinary, though it is unusual, I suppose :stuck_out_tongue: Though flying absolutely wonderful, riding has always been more exciting (and more dangerous) to me. Go figure ^.^</p>

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<p>This Summer I won’t have a job, but I will start to study for SAT and during Agust I will be in London for a month working and improving my speaking skills, is that a good thing?</p>

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<p>This summer, Im doing research at a local college, self studying some math and physics, playing golf and tennis, reading books, and sleeping xD.</p>

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<p>I hate to play devil’s advocate here, but I have to toss some ideas around: you’ve described what you’re planning to do during summer adequately - but what were you planning to do after summer, and what did you do before summer?</p>

<p>Learning new things, art, for instance, is great. But setting yourself a short term goal of forcing together a portfolio for any university application might not be a good idea. I don’t have an idea of what you did before summer, so I won’t know: however, make sure you ask yourself, “Does this look out of place in my application?”</p>

<p>Are/will you able to exercise your autonomy in art? (are you able to do what you want to do; share your ideas with a larger audience of people whom you don’t know in first degree; make decisions for others; make decisions for yourself?)</p>

<p>Was there a long lull, inertia, steep learning gradient that you had to overcome?</p>

<p>Did/will you encounter a problem which couldn’t be mitigated by means of time and effort alone?</p>

<p>(To be honest, entertaining the idea of putting together a nice portfolio in 3 months is an insult to art. I have friends who quit school to learn art: and they tell me that after 3 years, they still can’t draw a smooth line immediately with a pen. One of them said that he spent 3 months purposely sketching without an eraser for training.)</p>

<p>As for the program, “among 100 participants selected for <prestigious program=”“>” says that you have a certain level of qualification, but did you work hard for it to happen because you wanted it to?</prestigious></p>

<p>Do participate in your planned activities, definitely. They are wonderful opportunities and will broaden your views and experiences. But also continue with what you were already doing for years, even if it may seem to bring you away from the goal of getting into a dream school - because at the end of the day, that’s what’s going to stay with you, whichever college accepts you. And not some certificate of participation to some prestigious program.</p>

<p>P.S.: A cyclotron is damn cool. But do you know: there’s more electromagnetic theory behind its operating principles than nuclear physics behind the experiments that they can give you in 3 months? (Maybe it’s just me, but I find the electromagnetic theory more interesting in this case.)</p>