Without question, the summer is an invaluable season. It’s a chance to spend time with family and friends; students can reflect on the past academic year and prepare accordingly for the next; and yes, while not all students will decide to work, summertime offers great opportunities to pursue interests beyond the classroom. With such a diversity of options, what’s the right one to choose?

From a college perspective, the academic record is the most important aspect of an applicant’s high school career. The summer can therefore be used quite productively by students who need to retake classes, complete graduation requirements, improve their GPA, and/or demonstrate their intellectual commitment to specific fields of study.

However, colleges also look to understand the other ways in which a student might contribute to the campus community. If the academic profile is already firmly established, summer can be an excellent time to add depth and complexity to the extracurricular profile. Whether that means a journalism internship with the local paper, a pre-college program in biotechnology, or extra hours devoted to an ongoing volunteer position, students can take advantage of the summer to expand upon their individual interests and demonstrate their passion.

Here are just a few examples of what’s possible in the summer:

California State Summer School for the Arts
California State Summer School for Math and Science
Brown University Pre-College
Global Routes Community Service
Vision New America Internship Program
The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop

It’s summertime! Make the most of it.

The number of students participating in gap year experiences is small but growing in the U.S. While some students strike out on their own, many students participate in programs organized by agencies such as AFS, Brown Ledge, City Year, Dynamy, or Rustic Pathways.

Students considering a gap year should generally proceed with their college applications as if they were not taking time off. Most colleges are happy to support students in deferring admission for a year, as long as students can demonstrate that they have a productive plan and use for that time off. If you’re unsure, check college’s websites for their gap year or deferment policies.

To learn more about different gap year opportunities, check out The Gap Year Book or The Gap-Year Advantage.

Admissions acceptance decisions are based on your overall profile as a student. Your academic record speaks to your ability to succeed academically in college; your extracurricular record should illustrate what kind of personal contribution you can make to the campus community. If your application does not demonstrate your extracurricular interests, an admissions officer will never know what those interests are.

While colleges don’t expect that every student will have found a passion (or passions) by the time they enter high school, they do expect that students explore, get involved, and try new activities. Think critically about the activities in which you’ve been involved in the past. What have you found meaningful? What have been positive and negative features of previous activities? What kind of extracurricular or academic interests have you not yet pursued? What new activities can build off of a previous interest you have?

Remember, it’s not necessary, or even advisable, to have a lot of different activities listed on your application. What’s most important is that the activities you select adequately represent you. What admissions officers want to see is longevity, authenticity, and that you will potentially continue participating in your activities throughout college. In this case, quality is better than quality.