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Counselor's Corner |
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Plan Summer Activities by Betsy F. Woolf
Some of my high school students work as life guards every summer.
Some work for their local legislators. Some attend summer camps and programs for teens.
Some do science research. Some take classes. Some volunteer. Some travel.
Some play in tournaments and showcases.
And one of my students spends the summer preparing for the Junior World Championships in his sport.
It doesn't mater what you do during the summer,
as long as you do SOMETHING!
It doesn't have to happen at an exotic locale (although it may),
and it can be a job at the local store.
Sure, colleges like to see that students aren't just sitting home
watching television and playing video games all summer.
But what's important about the summer is the experience and how it helps you grow.
Sensible Summers by Doretta Katzter Goldberg
There is a new buzzword in college admissions that should guide your summer plans.
The word is "authenticity" and it means living your teenage years in a purposeful way.
It means choosing activities that teach you new things,
allow you to make new contacts and perhaps play a meaningful role in someone else's life.
This is not as difficult as it may seem.
In an academic setting look for programs that involve your potential major or career.
There are summer classes in a wide range of subjects that reach beyond the curriculum of most high schools.
Though admissions officials yawn at exotic community service trips,
such an experience is meaningful if it is part of your ongoing involvement in similar activities at home.
If your goal is business school, get an actual paying job, or,
if you see your future in international relations, spend a summer living with a family abroad.
Alternatively, put your skills to use helping someone else.
Be the varsity lacrosse player who teaches the game at an inner city camp or the computer whiz
who unravels the mystery of the Internet at the local senior citizens center.
It is not the activity that is important as much as the purpose it serves in enriching your life.
Do not collect activities just to fit the profile of some imaginary school.
Use the uncluttered weeks of summer to immerse yourself in experiences,
as well as to relax and renew your energy for the coming school year.
"Authenticity" means there is no rulebook for summertime, no magical plan.
It is the long-overdue idea that the way to success and that "perfect" college
is to work hard at finding and improving upon the innermost and real you.
© Copyright 2008 College Directions, LLC
The views expressed herein are those of their authors alone, and do not necessarily represent the views of Hundreds of Heads or of IECA.
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DO ANYTHING THAT DISPLAYS LEADERSHIP.
Practically every job I've applied for over the summer lists "leadership"
as one of the primary characteristics.
This doesn't have to be formal leadership,
but jobs in which you can display some sort of initiative always help.
-- NAFI ISRAEL
COLUMBIA UNIVERISITY
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS OFFICERS JUST WANT TO KNOW
that you weren't sitting around all summer with cheese doodle crumbs all over your shirt.
-- D.T.
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
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Considering a summer program? Check out this list of ideas:
www.princetonreview.com/college/research/summerprograms
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Scooping ice cream is just as valid an activity as any, if you need to earn money.
If you need to take care of siblings or baby-sit,
you should feel secure that these are important and valued.
Do not feel the pressure to do something "meaningful"
if there are other more pressing priorities.
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