<p>I intend to spend this summer volunteering by helping restore/beautify areas of a major city with a bad reputation. I will spend about 5 hours per day every weekday doing this. (Needless to say, it's a fairly large commitment.) I have a pretty prominent role in this program as well. </p>
<p>Additionally, I will work either as a swim instructor or a Kumon tutor for math & reading.</p>
<p>Do these activities constitute a summer well-spent? (I will also be studying to get standardized test scores up, but this isn't really something I'd put on a college application.) I know it's not an internship or research (which would be kind of difficult to arrange for me), but does an elite position in a non-profit community service organization compensate? I plan on basing one of my college essay topics on this; it's something I really love doing and am passionate about. Any thoughts/opinions are welcome.</p>
<p>I think your summer sounds good. What matters is that you’re doing something you’re passionate about… you don’t have to be off solving cancer to have a summer well-spent.</p>
<p>^ Even if I plan on majoring in science? I was hoping I could tie the volunteering into making me realize that innovations and new technologies can make people’s lives easier (I want to be an engineer). Do you think this’ll impress top schools?</p>
<p>@worriedkid725 - summer activities should be selected based on what you want and need to do; they should not be selected in a calculating manner, to “impress top schools.” Doing stuff to “impress” is a set-up for failure and disappointment.</p>
<p>You may find that volunteering 5 hours a day and working as a swim instructor or kumon tutor are more difficult to do in reality than you expected, based on recent unexpected developments in your life. So, be prepared to ‘go with the flow’ </p>
<p>Perhaps, in your leadership role, you can adjust the program’s direction. Have some volunteers restoring and beautifying the inner city. And have a separate group of kids (including yourself) working with young women in your situation.</p>
<p>While this route is not science-related, it might be very satisfying, informative and helpful for you - a way to make lemonade out of lemons.</p>
<p>While that’s a wholesome idea, I really can’t readjust the aim of the program. And just because I’m doing this doesn’t mean I’ll have to do labor-intensive activities; some options involve merely playing with poor children. If I have the choice, the tutoring will probably be better than the swimming. However, I will not be very far along (at the end of the summer, about 4 mos.); probably not even showing. I figure summer is the time for me to focus on maintaining EC involvement, as I won’t have the stressors of school/being further in impacting me.</p>
<p>I’m less concerned with the work being labor-intensive, and more concerned with how you’ll be feeling, and what you’ll feel up to doing. </p>
<p>No matter how strong and healthy you are, your body is no longer ‘yours’ and you will not have any control over the changes.</p>
<p>So, the point is, be prepared to adjust your plans.</p>
<p>Do these consitute a summer well-spent? Yes, very much so.
Even if you don’t end up working 25 hours/week. As long as you stick with it and can show as many hours as you can. (Ie, try to keep at it through summer, so you can state June-August.)
After the Kumon experience, I’d strongly suggest you mentor/tutor middle school kids- through your school, through a local public or some community program, like a homework center. Later, things may preclude continuing that- but, based on this experience, if you could then have a kid or two you tutor privately, you are showing a pattern of motivation and willingness to help others.
Btw, picking up fall mentoring is one way to get around dropping track.</p>