Every year, college application rates continue to rise at the most selective colleges in the country, and the admissions process only becomes more competitive. In order to stand out as a top student, plan to dedicate your summers to immersive and impactful experiences.
So how can you maximize this summer to the fullest? Try one of these 4 ideas:
1. Make an impact on your community
We've seen students start their own not-for-profit education initiatives, create websites that allow for the exchange of donated books, and organize charity fashion shows.
Colleges don't expect you to solve global hunger (though if you're interested, check out organizations like FEED or the FoodBank for Westchester for inspiration). However, they do pay attention to your ability to make things happen and the impact you have on those around you. It shows them what kind of value you will add to their school.
Start small—think of ways your unique skill set could improve your local community—and take the lead. Independent drive and the ability to unite people behind your cause are extremely attractive qualities to universities. So engage with a cause that matters to you:
Start an online forum for women’s rights that provides advice and solace for victims of domestic violence
Found a local chapter of an animal welfare organization
Develop your own curriculum at a school for children with learning disabilities
If you can’t lead your own effort, then involve yourself wholeheartedly in someone else’s.
2. Educate yourself in a new way
Schools want applicants who seek out opportunities to learn—and if you really want to impress them, it’s important to find innovative ways to expand your knowledge.
Consider applying for a pre-college summer program to immerse yourself in college-level learning for a few weeks or even the whole summer. These programs offer the opportunity to explore a wide variety of academic and career interests while experiencing a taste of college life at a particular university.
If you’re a science person, seek out opportunities to perform or assist in research. Many schools (including Princeton, Penn, Cornell, and UCSB) and even laboratories and hospitals (check out FermiLab, Regeneron, and Mount Sinai) give high school students the opportunity to engage with academics in a hands-on way.
If you want to attend a top business school, participating in an internship is a must (they’re also a great opportunity for all applicants). Excited by literature? See if you can work for a publisher. Passionate about politics? Volunteer for your local Congressperson and canvass the town. Fascinated by technology? See if you can intern for an interesting startup.
If you choose to take a course on a college campus, enroll in one for college credit. This way, you’ll have a transcript to share—proof that you can kick butt in a college-level classroom. Plus, if you hit it off with your professor, you can even even ask them to write you a letter of recommendation!
3. Explore a new passion and/or work experience
Curious about tap dancing? Take a class. Passionate about journalism? Start your own blog or podcast. Earn your pilot’s license. Become an origami artisan. Volunteer on a cheese farm.
Still at a loss? Get a job! Working (whether just for the summer or the whole year) shows colleges that you have a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility.
Common summer jobs include lifeguarding, nannying, waiting tables, counseling at a summer camp—but feel free to go with something a little different too. LogicPrep Founder Lindsay has always been a bookworm, so she worked at a local bookstore. I, on the other hand, love working with people, so I spent my last year of high school as a receptionist at a kids’ hair salon.
4. Read
Dozens of colleges (including Wake Forest, Columbia, University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, Princeton, and USC) ask applicants to list their favorite books. And I can tell you now, they probably won’t be impressed by The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, or any other 20th century American bildungsroman they know you only read because your teacher assigned it. (Which I know totally isn’t fair because The Great Gatsby is actually an awesome book! But alas.)
I challenge you to use your summer to read at least three books. (That's one book per month. You can do one book per month.) Choose books that you genuinely find interesting; if you don't know where to start, use The New York Times list of the 10 Best Books of 2021—or ask your LogicPrep instructors for some of their favorites!
If you're interested in biology, psychology, or medicine, try When Breath Becomes Air, Brain on Fire, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, or On the Move.
If you love to learn about global cultures, try I am Malala, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, The Namesake, or Americanah.
If you're a language buff, challenge yourself by reading in a foreign language: 100 Years of Solitude (Spanish), Madame Bovary (French), Metamorphoses (Latin), or Siddhartha (German).
Even future engineers and scientists should sharpen your reading comprehension skills. Try Alan Turing: The Enigma, A Brief History of Time, or The Martian for engaging narratives interwoven with mathematical and scientific theory.
Long story short
Do something. Anything. (Anything besides just watching TV or playing pickup soccer all summer.) You’ll probably find inspiration for an awesome college essay in the process—and maybe even learn a thing or two along the way.