Holiday season is in full swing, which means that January 1st, 2020 is right around the corner. If you’re anything like us, the start of the new year will cause you to think about the year ahead. And if you’re a junior who plans to apply to a top tier school, or any school really, it’s time to start thinking about what you should do this summer.
Below we’ll go through some of our favorite ways to spend your summer, and they are listed in no particular order. Why? Because everyone is always asking us ‘what’s the best way to spend my summer?” And there is no one size fits all response to that question. The best way to spend your summer is to do something productive --and you should do the thing that you’ll get the most out of. That’s why there are a lot of options. Our best advice: avoid redundancy, be open to creating your own opportunities, and focus as closely on your niche interests as possible.
GET A JOB:
Yes, an actual job. Yes, one that pays you money. Getting a real job at a restaurant, gym, or coffee shop is often overlooked in favor of fancier sounding internships. But we always suggest that our own TKG clients get jobs because being held accountable, maintaining a schedule, and getting to interact with customers are skills that come in handy later on in life. We especially suggest going for a paid job if your only other option is doing an unpaid internship where your main responsibility is getting coffee and waiting around to shadow a meeting. Another benefit of working a 9-5? You have time to work on your college applications, read books, and take online courses.
GET AN INTERNSHIP:
Applying to internships is a good fit for students who have become experts in a field in the classroom or through their extracurricular activities, but have yet to gain actual work experience in said field. For example, let’s say you’ve taken every computer science class offered at your school, taught yourself to code, and are working on your own to develop an app – but you’re always following the news on companies like Microsoft and Apple. Those are huge companies that might not be hiring 17-year-olds, so find smaller companies that are doing similar work. Think about the specific areas within computer science that you’re interested in, figure out exactly what you’re looking for, and start applying for internships within that space. Make sure that you ask about your roles and responsibilities before you accept the internship. As we said earlier if you’re going to be running errands for the CEO of a big company all day you won’t walk away with much to add to your resume.
SUMMER PROGRAM AT A COLLEGE:
If you’re going to apply to a summer program at a college, you need to set aside the idea that attending UCLA’s summer program is going to help you get into UCLA. It’s probably not going to. The only reason that you should apply to summer programs is if they’re going to help you build upon an interest that you’re trying to highlight. There are a lot of great summer programs out there, and we encourage you to do your own research on them. But be mindful of the fact that it’s unlikely to help you get into X school when it comes time to apply.
HELP OUT YOUR COMMUNITY:
Notice that we didn’t say community service! Please, don’t take a service trip. Google “voluntourism” if you’d like to find out why. However, community engagement is not the same thing as a community service trip. Let’s stick with the example from above, and say that a rising senior is interested in computer science and coding. How can you use those skills to help those around you? A friend of one of our writers spent their summer teaching children and the elderly basic computer programming skills at a local library. Another example would be starting a recycling program in your building, or helping local small businesses with their online marketing materials. Look around you (as in don’t travel) and use your skills to fill a void.
RESEARCH WITH A PROFESSOR:
Doing research with a professor is truly one of the best ways to spend your summer. We’re aware of the fact that we said there is no true “best” way to spend your time, but researching with a professor is worth pursuing. We say pursuing because these opportunities are hard to come by, and even harder to actually lock in, but this experience pays off.
The best way to go out about finding a position is to identify your specific skill set and make it extremely niche. If you’re broadly interested in environmental science, look at the classes that you’ve taken, books you’ve read, and online classes that you’ve taken. Then, highlight three areas. Let’s say that you land on marine biology, forest science, and organic farming. Then scour the internet for professors who are currently doing research in those fields and cold email them. You should essentially send them a cover letter that explains your interest in the field(s) and details what you’ve done to educate yourself thus far. You might have to send out 100 emails, and you’ll be working for free, but the hands-on experience with a professor is impressive and will make your college applications stand out.
START A BUSINESS:
We wrote this blog post for high schoolers who want to attend business school. The cool (and perhaps scary) truth is that a lot of kids who get into business schools started their own businesses and are running them as you read this blog post. Shoot for the moon, and try not to focus on a positive financial outcome at first. We’re rooting for you, and making money is a plus, but getting your hands dirty and trying to execute something is the most important aspect of the process.
If you need help figuring out your summer plans, and you aren’t sure where to start, contact us here.