Filed under: College Admission — admin @ 7:16 am

Summer is often a time when you want to have fun and step away from the stresses of high school and the pressures of college admission. Yet, making the most out of these twelve weeks will positively benefit your college acceptance, especially to any of the Ivy League schools.  Do not worry, this does not mean you will be imprisoned to a room memorizing SAT vocabulary words or working on your essays all summer. 

To begin, sit down with your teachers and parents and brainstorm about summer activities that may be beneficial to your personal growth and college admission. These conversations will help you individualize your summer to achieve personal satisfaction along with increasing your value to the college admission process. Taking the time to determine the most beneficial summer activities for your college application will greatly aid in your chances of acceptance to your school of choice.

College admission offices, specifically at Ivy League schools, look for students who are differentiated but also balanced.  Think of subjects that you are interested in and seek out programs which would allow for you to grow. If you are one who has a passion for languages, consider studying abroad in a foreign country.  This experience would help build cross-cultural understanding along with intensive language immersion. If business and entrepreneurship is your calling, don’t be afraid to try and start a small business. Check out the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) as a starting point.

Many colleges, including Ivy League schools, offer academic programs for high school students.  These programs allow for students to immerse themselves in a particular academic subject, live on campus, and explore academic and career opportunities. Harvard University offers the Secondary School Program which allows for high school students to live at Harvard, attend classes, and earn college credit.

According to Summer Parenting Expert, Jill Tipograph of Every Thing Summer, during the summer you should push yourself outside of your comfort zone, and seek leadership experience. College admission officers at Ivy League schools continue to reiterate the importance of leadership experience. There are several summer camps which offer residential summer programs for high school students that focus upon developing leadership experience. But whatever you decide don’t go for the same old stuff you have done. Step out and push yourself. You can learn something about yourself along the way.

So take a break from SAT practice tests and follow your passions this summer. The results will show come college acceptance time. Remember to include all your summer experiences in your admission applications.  The time and commitment that you dedicated during those hot summer months will help enhance your application profile and increase your chance of acceptance to selective schools.