Use Your Summer Breaks to Boost the Chances of Admission to a Top School
Applications to Ivy League and top-tier universities have risen, and the competition for a spot in a class has never been stronger. This has a lot of anxious students wondering what they can do to boost their chances of winning admission to their school of choice.
If you’re in that spot, you don’t want to overlook your summers. Summer gives you a big gap between your regular high school classes, but there’s really no time to take a break if you’re focused on a great academic career.
Why Does It Matter to an Admissions Board What You Do Over the Summer?
There are plenty of students who have great grades and score well on the ACT or SAT, but admissions boards aren’t solely focused on tests and grades. They’re also looking for students who have interesting, unique and diverse talents that go well beyond the classroom.
In other words, they want students who have demonstrated an aptitude for passion projects, leadership and independent character development. If your summer breaks are spent just laying around, you aren’t demonstrating a real commitment to your aspirations.
What Can You Do Over the Summer to Make an Impression on an Admissions Board?
You may have a variety of options available, so consider them carefully. Take the time to assess both your goals and your interests, so that you can find the right fit for your personality and needs.
Some of the best options for summer engagement include:
- Internships: Whether you get a paid spot or an unpaid spot, an internship in your field of interest shows that you have a real-world appreciation of the field. Plus, the experience you gain and the connections you make can help you find a job later.
- Entrepreneurship: Teenage entrepreneurs are becoming more common than ever. Starting your own business communicates both your enthusiasm for life and your work ethic. Plus, you might even be able to use your experiences as a budding entrepreneur as part of your admissions essay.
- Classes: Summer is an ideal time to take additional classes, whether those are some form of accelerated college courses in your favorite subject or Advanced Placement (AP) courses designed to enhance your transcript.
- Volunteer: Public service is always a great way to show your strength of character and goodwill — and it proves that you’re an asset to any community. The right community service or non-profit work can showcase both your ability to engage in teamwork and act as a leader, and that’s valuable to any university.
- Research: Independent research papers allow you to show both your research skills and your ability to apply critical thinking skills to a subject that could have significant value to the world. A research project can show the admissions board that your interest in a field goes well beyond the theoretical or academic.
At Elite Path Edu, we offer guidance on activity programs that are designed to match students with an industry mentor who can help them select, research and deliver a presentation on a subject that will be valued by academic admissions boards. Contact us to learn more.
