Fair Warning: Summer Activities < Yearly Extracurriculars

It’s now the time of year when students start to think “Oh, I need to figure out what I’m doing this summer!”

That lovely two and a half month break that our culture’s agricultural roots have blessed us with.

But take the word “break” lightly, because there’s nothing quite as bad as doing nothing over your summer.

Students stress out about what exactly they should do. They hear the rumors “oh you have to take classes” “potential science majors need to have at least two summers of research” “if you don’t go on a service trip, they throw your application out” or, most frighteningly, “your summers are the most important extracurricular factor”

Give me a break!

Just as there is no perfect formula for your extracurriculars or your essays, there is no formula for summer.

The only formula I can give you?

You + Something that matters to you = Great Summer

If you want to take classes and get a practice at college? Go ahead and do that. (But know that these options are very expensive and wont help you get into that particular school).

If you want to work and save up money? Totally fine.

If you want to go on a service trip? Do it! It’s great to give back, and will be a lot of fun. BUT: Don’t write your essay on it (it’s almost as cliché as the “big game” essay), and know that it doesn’t make you terribly unique.

If you want to do a specialized program for your big interest (sports, art, theatre, journalism, etc.)? Go for it! You’ll be adding to your skill level. But make sure that you have something on your resume that isn’t that activity.

Literally anything that is of value to you (except, of course, sitting around and working on your tan) is valuable.

Even if its not a program or a listable activity (for example, hitting the gym every day to try to get healthy, and losing 30 pounds, getting you out of the “obese” category) as long as you’re doing something, it is valuable life experience.

BUT, and this is a big but, know that your summers are less important than the school year.

Wait, What?

Colleges want to see that you have interests and you’re active in them. But they also want to see that you’re actively involved full year round. They want to know that you’re capable of handling school-work and outside interests.

So if you have incredible summer activities (doing independent research, attending competitive institutes, etc) but no school-year activities you’re still going to look lazy. You’re going to look like a one-trick pony who doesn’t know how to manage their time. And worst of all, it will devalue your awesome summer work because all the admissions are going to be able to do is scratch their heads and say, “But what about the other 10 months?”

Do something valuable to you during the summer. Shoot for the stars, go to competitive programs, travel, learn to cook, babysit the cutest two year old you’ve ever met.
But do something valuable during the year too.