The Best Summer Plans for High School Students

Use Your Summers to Strengthen Your Resume and College Applications

By Eileen Cody

Out of school for the summer? This might seem like a time for kicking back and unwinding after the school year, but it’s actually a great opportunity to start building that resume to help you impress the college of your choice. Your plans can be more than simply getting a summer job; there are a number of activities that can help you stay active and gain valuable experience over the summer months.

Work

Employment is one of the most practical ways to build your resume and impress colleges. Even if working during the school year is not an option, there are often seasonal establishments such as residential summer camps that look for help specifically during the summer months. Any job is good, but working in a leadership position or in an academic area would be ideal. The more a job challenges you, the more it builds the skills that colleges and future employers are interested in seeing in applicants.

Volunteer

Do good. Community service is another great way to gain some valuable work and leadership experience. Nonprofits such as soup kitchens and animal shelters are always looking for volunteers, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find a volunteer organization near you that could use an extra pair of hands for a few hours a week during the summer.

Travel

While this may not be a viable option for everyone, summer travel can be an exciting way to enrich your mind while enhancing your resume. Visiting and exploring foreign places will broaden your horizons, allowing you to expand your awareness of other peoples and cultures. It’s also a great chance to develop language skills.

Take Classes

'Summer school' doesn’t always have to be a bad thing, and colleges may look kindly upon applicants who take the initiative to further their education over the summer. There are a variety of options available for high school students to take summer courses, both at their own schools and at local colleges. If your high school offers summer classes, this could be a great way to advance your math or language skills, two areas that often fall short on college applications. Local community colleges also offer credit-bearing summer courses for high school juniors and seniors on a variety of introductory-level topics. This will not only look great on your transcript, but it also provides an opportunity to get a jump start on general education requirements for college and allows you to explore possible career options.

Summer Enrichment Programs

Along with summer classes, enrichment programs can be another valuable and educational summer experience. Investigate the types of summer enrichment programs offered by local youth groups or area colleges and universities. Many of these organizations have residential or day camps for high school students focused on specific topics such as music, creative writing, science, engineering and a variety of other areas of interest. These programs are a good way to explore and gain experience in fields you may want to study in college.

Visit Colleges

It almost goes without saying that campus visits should be part of any college applicant’s summer plans. Of course, while these visits are a priority when considering which colleges to apply to, it is important to remember that they should be just one part of your summer equation. A few campus tours don’t constitute a summer’s worth of experience; they should be included in your plans, along with other resume-building activities and experiences, in order to set you apart from your fellow applicants.

Beef Up Your SAT or ACT Skills

Don't waste a summer preparing for a four-hour exam -- everything else on this list has more value for your personal growth and college preparation. That said, standardized tests are an important part of the admissions equation at most of the country's highly selective colleges. If you've taken the SAT or ACT and your scores aren't what you think you'll need to get into your top choice colleges, then the summer is a great time to work through an exam preparation book or take a test prep class.

NJCU Summer Scholars – Earn College Credit!

As the summer break nears, New Jersey City University will once again offer three credit summer college courses to high achieving students entering their junior or senior year of high school. The High School Summer Scholars program, gives students the opportunity to enroll in selected courses running from July 7, 2014 to August 7, 2014.

The High School Summer Scholars Program provides qualified students with the opportunity to:

·    Earn college level credits towards a degree

·    Familiarize themselves with the academic rigors of college

·    Experience what it's like be a college student

·    Complete a prerequisite for an advanced college course

·    Audition possible college majors

Students who wish to participate in this program should submit the following:

·    The NJCU High School Summer Scholars application

·    A personal essay explaining your motivation and aspirations for attending this program

·    An official high school transcript reflecting all years of high school study

·    Letter of recommendation

·    SAT or PSAT scores (if available)

For more information regarding the program or to submit the online application, please visit njcu.edu/programs/hss.

For Sophomores:

Being a teen is a weird and difficult time. I myself went thorough this is in sophomore year. They call it the sophomore slump. I remember that I felt like I was in this never ending state of limbo and I couldn't control it. Everything started to seem heavier and bleaker. Now some of you may feel great and are having a great time right now. But for the ones that are not, All I have to say as a Senior who is about to graduate is that it gets better. As you become more mature as a young man, you begin to understand yourself and start to find out what your interest are and what you are passionate about. When you find these things, you begin to accept yourself and come to terms with who you are as a student at Saint Peters Prep. If you are questioning why you are here or asking yourself what’s the point, just hold on because you have your whole life in front of you and that itself is a bumpy ride. I think the best feeling I had in the last four years was finding out who I truly was and not letting other people such as my friends or family choose my identity for me. Once I found this, I became much happier with myself and Prep.  There's nothing more important in life than having love and happiness. When you know who you are as a person, nothing can stop you. Now as you all get ready to unwind for the year, think about what I just said and ask yourself, who am I? What do I Love to Do? What makes me happy? You may not find all of these things right now, but as you go through your years at prep your confidence and character will Grow and you will feel much better about yourself. I hope that this message got to some of you who are feeling like you are in a state of Limbo. Again, it gets much, much Better. 

Senior, Class of 2014

Summer Opportunities Part X

UCPREP @ UCONN for students with disabilities – csd.uconn.edu

Summer of Art 2014, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA – www.otis.edu/soa

Summer Video Institute – Desales U. – www.desales.edu/svi

US Performing Arts Camp – Performing Arts and Media Camps – many locations – usperformingarts.com

MCCC Summer Youth Program – www.hccc.edu/summeryouthprograms/

VCU Arts – Drawing Class for Rising Seniors – Drawing Unplugged arts@vcu.edu

LEDR Leadership program – Boy Scouts of America www.tef-ledr.org

Criminal Justice Summer Camp – Rider University rider.edu/cjcamp

Fairfield U Pre-College Workshop - http://www.fairfield.edu/academics/summerprograms/basesummercamp/resources/

Centenary Summer Scholars – centenarysummerscholars

Prep Day - Washington D.C College Tours 

          For Prep Day this year, I decided that the smartest activity to participate in, as a junior, would be the D.C college trip, which consisted of four tours.  This was a unique experience for me because it was the first time that I had toured schools with a group of my peers, who were able to share their thoughts on the various colleges.  The D.C college visits were also on a Wednesday and Thursday so I really got a good understanding of what life on campus was like because our tours took place during the middle of the school week.  The tours, were in some cases, lead by Prep alumni who showed us around the campus and shared their experience with the school. 

          The first of the four schools we toured was the University of Delaware.  The only disappointing part of the trip was the bad weather which detracted from the amount of time that we could spend looking at schools on the first day.  Because of the bad weather conditions, we only really had time to do a very brief tour and then lunch in the Delaware cafeteria.  The next college that we toured was Loyola Maryland.  This tour was much more productive than the University of Delaware because we were broken up into groups of 6-7 and we each had our own tour guide.  The last college tour that day was Georgetown, and our tour guide was Prep alumni Matthew Halcheck.  Being lead by a Prep alumnus was a unique experience because he was able to answer questions that many tour guides would not have been able to.  Questions like, “Was the transition from Prep to Georgetown difficult?”, or “What’s the one thing you miss most from Prep”.  The final college tour we did was the Catholic University of America. After eating breakfast in their cafeteria, we did a big group tour which was effective, but not as effective as the Loyola tours.  The tour ended with a trip to the campus shop, and then we headed back home.

- Sean Severson

Kaplan’s Summer Event Series: Bergen, Hudson, Passaic! Take a free Kaplan Practice Test!

Ramapo College, St. Peter’s University, and Wayne Public Library

Online registration only! Limited seats available. http://tinyurl.com/njsummerevents

Summer Opportunities IX

UCPREP @ UCONN for students with disabilities – csd.uconn.edu

Summer of Art 2014, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA – www.otis.edu/soa

Summer Video Institute – Desales U. – www.desales.edu/svi

US Performing Arts Camp – Performing Arts and Media Camps – many locations – usperformingarts.com

MCCC Summer Youth Program – www.hccc.edu/summeryouthprograms/

VCU Arts – Drawing Class for Rising Seniors – Drawing Unplugged arts@vcu.edu

LEDR Leadership program – Boy Scouts of America www.tef-ledr.org

Criminal Justice Summer Camp – Rider University rider.edu/cjcamp

Samsung Mobile APP ACADEMY – Free 3 Day seminar – scholastic.com/samsungacademy

Students Blog on Prep Day 2014 – Connecticut College Visits

       Fairfield University was definitely a school that has grabbed my attention. Its location is ideal for the kind of school I would like to attend. Fairfield was located in a nice town and actually felt like a suburb and was not too far away from a city life. Its campus caught my eye, from its beautiful hills to almost everything about its entire location. The people there and our tour guide were all extremely welcoming. Besides its beautiful campus, what it has to offer interests me even more. Being preexposed to the school by family, I already know in my mind that I want to study abroad. Fairfield offers an amazing study abroad to Florence, Italy which I am very interested in. Fairfield will definitely be receiving an application from me next fall. 

– Paul Chiurazzi

Of the three colleges we visited on Prep Day my favorite was Sacred Heart University. I felt the most comfortable there; the students were very inviting and personable. The campus, although small, was very nice. The thing I enjoyed most about Sacred Heart was the accessibility to all parts of the campus, nothing was too far from another making it easy to walk around. Overall, I found Sacred Heart to be a college that would interest anyone looking at a smaller school and one that I will be interested in the future.

-Tim Critchlow

       I really enjoyed my trip to Fairfield University. It is just like a Prep away from Prep. The vibe the students gave off was just like the one here at school: friendly and welcoming. The teachers and classes seemed just like Prep’s with a good teacher to student ratio and friendly faculty. Fairfield also cares a lot about the Jesuit ideals of donation and service; when we visited there was a “Jail N’ Bail” fundraiser for the Special Olympics and in this event a student would post a ‘bail’ for someone else and that person would be in a jail cell and would have to call friend who would post bail and get him or her out. That is just like the mission drive here at Prep. Fairfield is definitely one of my top schools to apply to!

- Daniel Garrett

My favorite school on this trip to Connecticut was Fairfield. When I saw Fairfield, I just tried to imagine myself as a student there. Even though it was a rainy, wet day, all of the students there seemed to be having fun and connected by some way or another. Whether it was kids at a lunch table studying for finals or Jail N’ Bail, it seemed as though everyone there loved it and wanted to be as connected as possible. They also have a great academic standard as well as having some of the most highly regarded professors on the East Coast. 

-Michael Dwyer

        In my opinion, out of the three colleges visited that day, Quinnipiac University was by far the most impressive. Even with the rainy weather we had, I could admire the rural setting of the campus. One of the many great aspects of the school was the quality of its facilities, most notably on the upper campus (student center/sports center). I liked the Communications Center, with its updated equipment open to all students. The associate director of admissions, who gave his own tour of the upper campus, was also great. He was very welcoming to us and enthusiastic about the school. The one thing that I had mixed feelings about was the freshmen rooming situation, which consisted of either two roommates or four. The tour guide said that students could inform the school on which arrangement they’d prefer, but that there was no real guarantee. Personally, I would have no problem rooming with four people, but I would prefer it if I really had the ability to choose. Overall, the tour surpassed my expectations and succeeded in making the school one of my top choices.

-Daniel Sullivan

Summer Opportunities VIII

Baruch Leadership Academy, NYC www.baruch.edu/leadership

Summer Seminar Series, Johns Hopkins U School of Education education.jhu.edu/playtherapy

Summer Scholars Institute, PACE U. www.pace.edu/summer-scholars

NIAHD Pre-Collegiate Program in Early American History at The College of William & Mary www.wm.edu/niahd

3 Reasons Not to Overthink Your Final College Choice

Students should keep an open mind and embrace exploration when making the final college decision.

It's impossible to know exactly how your college journey will unfold, and any school you've been accepted to will allow you to grow and explore personal and career possibilities

By Brian WitteApril 28, 2014

Choosing which college to attend is one of the most challenging decisions a young student will have to make. Many students develop exhaustive lists of pros and cons, read reviews, scour financial aid options and visit each school on their "short list" to procure a substantial impression. 

The encouraging news, if you are worrying yourself sick over this question, is that all of the schools you've been accepted to are excellent choices.

This might sound counterintuitive, and you may not believe that there could be more than one best university for you. But the fact is that a college is not a magical machine capable of transformation – you, however, are.

The school provides you with opportunities to learn and grow. Different institutions will offer different opportunities, but you simply cannot deduce which will work perfectly for you until you go there. Here are three strong reasons why you shouldn't overthink your final college choice:

1. Your career path is still undetermined: When I finished high school, I was determined to follow in the footsteps of my hero, Richard Feynman, and become the next great physicist. My college research focused on achieving that goal. I was accepted everywhere I applied, but because of to late developments, I selected my backup option, based primarily on proximity to my family.

As it happened, my devotion to physics didn’t survive my exposure to linear algebra. Three years later, I had found a new field, and I was assisting on a research project in the Canadian Arctic, carrying a World War II-era rifle to ward off polar bears. I was 2,000 miles from the nearest physics laboratory.

Two years after that, I was exploring a 3,000-year-old tomb on my third month of an expedition to Greece funded by a travel fellowship I had won while in college. That fellowship didn’t even exist when I’d been considering which institution to attend. Best of all, I met my future wife in a class I took to prepare for the Arctic research trip, and we met again in Greece while on separate expeditions to Europe.

When I started college, I had no idea that I could develop a career from studying the natural world outside the laboratory. It sounds foolish in retrospect, but I had not even considered the biological sciences when I was researching schools.

Higher education is as much about growth and exploration as it is about preparation for a career. Until you arrive, you simply do not grasp all that is possible. Each of the colleges you've been accepted to can permit you room for growth and exploration.

2. You do not yet know whom you will meet: The individuals you encounter during college will be an important part of your exploration. You may be able to pre-emptively investigate professors, but the great majority of students with whom you will attend college have not even enrolled yet.

As long as you've chosen to apply to institutions that suit your mentality and values to maximize your chances of meeting like-minded people, you don't have reason to worry about where you ultimately end up. The truth is that there are amazing students everywhere. Being open to meeting them is more important than the campus at which you choose to meet them.

3. You will change as a person: Finally, you will be growing and evolving at an incredible rate throughout the college experience. The person you will become will be shaped in large part by the environment you choose.

In other words, you will be adapting to the school you select, and it will thus become the one best school for you. It sounds like magic, but it is just the human ability to flourish in a new environment.

While you certainly can't choose a school at random and hope for the best, trust in the fact that you've already researched, created a list of pros and cons and followed your instincts regarding where to apply.

The simple truth is that there is no one best college for you. Some schools are better fits than others, but any of the schools you've been accepted at will allow you to excel. Look for the possibility of growth, look for interesting people you would like to spend time with and look for a place that makes you excited for the future.

·         Brian Witte is a professional SAT tutor with Varsity Tutors. He earned his Bachelor of Science from theUniversity of Washington and holds a Ph.D. from Ohio State University.