Written By: Mika Lai
Introduction
After over a month of traveling, I finally settled down in the suburbs without a single plan in place. With school out of the way, what do people do during their summer break? 3 whole months of empty schedules- it felt overwhelming to fathom the amount of time that I wanted to fill up meaningfully.
Despite the pressure of having my summer activities look good on paper, I still wanted to do summer things. I still wanted to sleep-in and binge-watch my favorite shows without feeling regretful of what could be perceived as ‘wasted time’.
The more I thought about things I needed to get done and projects I wanted to start, the more overwhelming they became; ultimately reminding me of how I was being perceived on a college application. The more I thought about these things, the more I began to spiral into planning out- honestly- my entire life.
But it’s safe to say that overplanning is just a means of procrastination, and a waste of time.
So for all the people out there who feel the same way, do not fret, here is my advice on how to spend your summer meaningfully but also authentically.
1. Internships
Internships allow you to get hands-on experience and personal insight to a potential career. It is a great opportunity to further your knowledge as well as explore and reinforce your potential interest. Frankly, it also looks good on your college applications because you’re taking initiative and going out of your way to enhance your knowledge.
2. Conducting Research
Apply to do research in universities or research institutes. When we think of research, we might associate it with science, and experiments in a lab, but research is conducted in any subject- even a humanitarian one like history.
In addition, professors are generally more open to working with high school interns- especially during the summer. Since you may be inexperienced, you’ll most likely be spending your time doing grunt work or shadowing other researchers. However, if you help out enough, they might end up including your name in the final research paper, thereby making the experience even more worthwhile.
If you have trouble finding any openings, you can also conduct your own research, by publishing your own paper on a scholar website. Conducting your own research will have more obstacles such as accessing insightful resources, so a solution to this could be to find a mentor to guide you through the process of writing, editing and publishing a paper (Perhaps in the future, this mentor could also help write you a recommendation letter! :)
3. Community Service
Now that you have the whole summer off, you have way more time to help out the community. Volunteer at soup kitchens, hospitals, nursing homes, participate in beach clean-ups etc. This way you get to do something meaningful that not only benefits your college applications, but also your community.
4. Create a project
Create a start-up or a non-profit, program something, build a robot, start a blog, found an organisation- do anything that you can think of, the summer is your oyster.
5. Learn Something New
There are plenty of ways to develop your knowledge. Take an online course; there are hundreds of free courses on the internet provided by top-ranked Universities. Learn a new skill: code, cook, illustrate, play chess, fix a tire, speak a new language, solve a Rubik's cube. Frankly, the weirder or nicher the activity is, the more you stand out on an application, so don’t be afraid to explore some unconventional activities.
To ease your back-to-school transition, you could also start preparing for the courses you are taking in the next semester. Although I would definitely recommend broadening your breadth of skills by learning something you cannot learn at school, getting a head start on the next semester can alleviate your worries of not being able to keep up.
6. Monetization
Earn some money! Getting a part-time job is not the only way you can earn some cash in this modern world. There are many online platforms that allow you to earn money, including: transcription work, freelancing, designing or even video game/website testing. On the other hand, something that may be more exciting is learning how to invest. Buy some stocks, and see what happens!
7. Hot People Read
I like to think that reading is a win-win activity. Reading can be entertaining, but it is also intellectually-stimulating, educational, and can improve your language skills. Plus if anyone asks you what you have been doing lately, you’ll sound studious, even when you may or may not just be reading an enemies-to-lovers romance novel 👍🏽.
Shorten what I assume is an audaciously-extensive TBR! Here is a shorter list of my personal book recommendations & some books own my TBR list as well:
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Anything by Stephen King
Women Talking by Miriam Toews
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
8. Research Universities
Start researching different universities early on. Not only will this help you navigate which universities are suitable for you, it will also reduce the sense of intimidation and anxiety when thinking about applications in the future.
Here are some things you should take into account: financial Aid, dormitory, area, community and many other factors. Learn about the programs they offer, and how you think you would fit in!
Although this might send you into a spiral of personal statements, GPA and extracurriculars, to be perfectly candid, it is better to spiral in the summer- when you have more time to process things- rather than a school semester when you have to juggle school work and many other stresses.
9. Simply Live.
Go shopping, watch a movie, go out to dinner and chat with your friends until the restaurant asks you to leave because they are closing. Especially after an academically rigorous school year, and before the even more academically rigorous semester that is about to dawn, it’s pertinent to have some fun.
Don’t feel guilty for going out everyday and “wasting your precious summer time”, blow off some steam so you don’t get burnt out before the school term even begins. For me, I got to spend time with friends who I haven’t seen in months, and an application to college can’t make me feel guilty for spending time with them, because that time is just as precious.
It's inevitable that the impending school year will over-caffeinate, sleep-deprive, and malnourish us at times, so it's imperative that you get your hours in sleeping, exercising, as well as maintaining a balanced diet.
The Takeaway
When we associate the activities we participate in with how it will be perceived on a college application, it is easy for us to conform to a box that no longer individualises us.
The summer is a vital period that shows colleges how we spend our time. Whatever way you decide to spend your summer, as long as you find it meaningful -and sustain this view- admission officers will find it meaningful too. So there is nothing to worry about.
While the aforementioned is true, the key takeaway is that your summer was not created for a college application requirement.
Your summer is for academic, social, emotional growth that all accumulate to allow you to thrive as an individual.
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