School will soon be out for the summer. Yes, you want to relax, “de-stress”, and enjoy your time, but if you are a college bound student, you shouldn’t spend it all sleeping until noon and playing video games. Here are some things to consider that will help you make the most of your time this summer:
1. Visit some college campuses. There is no better way to get a “feel” for a particular college and how comfortable you might be living there than to visit the campus. You can make a day or weekend trip to in-state colleges, or if your family has summer vacation plans that include a trip out of state, you can easily fit in a side trip to one or more campuses.
2. Read. Spend some time each day reading the newspaper, magazines, or books you enjoy reading for pleasure. It doesn’t matter what you read; the more you read the more you will increase your reading speed, comprehension, vocabulary, and even writing skills. I have noticed that invariably, the students who score the highest on college entrance exams like the ACT and SAT are the students who read the most. The best writers are prolific readers; if you read good literature, you can improve your writing skills almost by osmosis. You don’t have to read classic literature, but that’s a good idea too. Here’s a link to summer reading suggestions from the National Association for College Admission Counseling, or you might try College Board’s list of “100 Great Books Recommended for College Bound Students”.
3. Volunteer. Beyond the good feeling you get by helping others, giving of yourself to your community has many practical benefits. One of these days you will be filling out a college application, and there will be a space to describe your volunteer activities. You may be able to use your supervisor as a reference on a college or job application. If you can find a volunteer opportunity in an area that is related to your proposed field of study, that’s even better.
4. Find a part time job. Not only will you gain work experience and hopefully a good recommendation from your supervisor, you earn money for your college savings account! Although financial aid is readily available for capable students who wish to pursue higher education, it is a myth to believe that good students can pay for everything through scholarships and grants. A large part of any financial aid package comes in the form of loans, and you want to keep borrowing to a minimum. The more you earn and save, the less you will have to borrow. Here's a link to a website where you can learn more about finding your first job: Snagajob.com
5. Look for a summer enrichment program. Many community colleges offer special programs designed for high school students at a reasonable cost. If you have a bigger budget, check out the residential programs offered by many major universities, from Ivy League-type schools like Harvard and Stanford to state universities like the University of Arizona. You can find books listing hundreds of summer opportunities in libraries and major bookstores, or search for them online at sites such as Teen Ink.
6. Pursue a passion. What is it that you really love doing? Use the time to increase your skills or deepen your understanding in that area. For example, if you really love performing arts, the best use of your time this summer might be to become involved in a summer theater production.
7. Research colleges and scholarships online. College View, College Board and The Princeton Review are well-known, extensive sites where you should be able to find everything you ever needed or wanted to know about college planning and preparation. But there are many other helpful sites where you can research campus safety, read the school newspaper, chat with students about campus life, or take a virtual tour of the campus and/or dorms.
8. Take some practice tests for the PSAT, SAT, and/or ACT. There are prep courses you can take through agencies like Princeton Review, Kaplan, and Sylvan, but these can be expensive. An inexpensive and effective alternative is to purchase a test prep book, read the suggestions for how to approach each part of the test, then take and score a practice tests. Test prep books usually include several complete tests with answer keys. You don’t need to take an entire test in one sitting; just do one section a day and rotate through the various sections. Set a timer and time yourself as if you were actually taking the test, check your answers against the key, and then try to figure out what you did wrong on the ones you missed.
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