Summer Options

Spring is not yet here, but for many students and parents it is time to think about what to do during the summer – Job? Camp? Summer school? Summer Program? Volunteer work? Swim team? Hang out?

Some look at the summer as the time to get a job and make money to use for discretionary spending, or for saving for college. Others see the summer as a chance to do something to impress colleges for admission. And some see the summer as a complete break form the grind that is school.

Because students have essentially been told by the school, teachers, parents, coaches, etc. what to study and what to do during the school year, the summer is the time for the students to be in control and learn and do the things they feel will serve them best, not just temporarily or for the short term, but over a lifetime. The summer is the time to learn or experience whatever a student wants.

This asks that students be mature and recognize the importance of preparing for their lives ahead. That expectation should be part of the discussion around options. Developing a new skill, learning something new of interest, gaining experience and enlightenment will all enhance one’s preparation for and involvement in his or her life in the future. The time to prepare for that future as an adult is adolescence – that is the time between childhood and adulthood. One doesn’t wait to begin in college; the final stpes are being taken there.

It doesn’t have to be a fancy trip or summer language immersion program; a simple job in a related field of interest can help more a student forward. Volunteering and shadowing are excellent ways to gain knowledge and experience as well as insights into one’s abilities and interests. Students who already have an interest and/or talent in an area can teach or assist with programs for children. There are many standard and creative options.

What happens is that when a student pursues something because of a personal interest, that effort will be more rewarding personally and the outcome will be better than if it is something done for extrinsic reasons (i.e. trying to impress a college admission office). In weighing options, students should consider which activity or experience will have the greatest lasting effect. As a simple example, a job whose only purpose is to earn money for casual spending money will leave the student with very little in the future – the money will be spent on food, movies, and other transient experiences, and the job experience will not have added anything to the student’s future abilities or insights. Learning and/or education (and these are not synonymous) is permanent and continues to add value to one’s life.

If one pursues their summer opportunities in this fashion, he or she is making the best choice for enhancing the college application.