What kinds of summer activities will help prepare a high school student for college?

There is no one answer to this question. In short, use your time to recharge and lean into areas that interest you. Deciding how to spend your summer depends on your particular interests and family responsibilities. College admission officials like to see that a student is engaged, curious, and ideally making an impact during their free time. In the summers after grades 9 and 10, students may want to try out a few new activities, study a new topic, or research careers they’re considering. The summer after junior year is a good time to dig a little deeper and focus on one area of interest by securing a summer internship, volunteer position, job, or conduct independent research in an area you plan to study in college. 

Students sometimes ask “Is a summer job enough of a summer activity?” It certainly is a worthwhile, and often necessary use of time. Whether you work as a lifeguard, ice cream scooper, camp counselor, or grocery bagger, take time to reflect on the important skills you are gaining. Summer is the perfect time to work on your entrepreneurial skills and start a dog walking, babysitting, or landscaping business. You may also find that your experiences with colleagues and interacting with customers will make for interesting admissions essay topics and give you some insight into what you prefer in a work environment. 

While summer employment may help students begin to sort out what field they’d enjoy studying in college, job-shadowing gives students a closer look at job opportunities that may be available to them after college graduation. Don’t be afraid to ask adults in your life if they’d be willing to show you what they actually do at work. Does your mom have a friend who is an accountant or a graphic designer? Ask if they have any tasks you could help with or if you could sit in on a meeting to get a feel for the work environment. 

For students looking to learn more about a topic of interest or checking off a high school requirement, online courses are a flexible use of your summer days. Coursera, edX, Language Bird, and most colleges offer courses for high school students. edX and Coursera courses are often free! For those students preparing for SAT or ACT testing dates in the fall, summer is a great time to enroll in a test prep course or to work with a tutor. If you already have a passion for a particular topic, consider pursuing guided research opportunities through Pioneer Academics or Lumiere Education.

Create your own fulfilling summer project. Whether your goal this summer is to teach your little brother to swim, teach yourself to code, or read the complete works of Shakespeare, commit to a consistent time for your project. Track your progress, and at the end of the summer reflect on what you accomplished and lessons learned. 

Finally, summer is also an opportunity to visit a few college campuses. There is most likely a campus located within a reasonable driving distance from your home. Organized tours are informative, but if you are just passing through a college town while on a drive to visit your grandparents, take the time to walk around the campus on your own and notice what appeals to you. After visiting a few different campuses, you’ll be able to create a list of criteria that fit your requirements for campus life.