The UC schools are all excellent, top-tier state schools. But Berkeley stands out as being one of the best in the nation. With an acceptance rate of just 11%, it’s an extremely competitive school. If you’re dead-set on enjoying the NoCal life for the next four years at one of the best programs the west coast has to offer, we have some advice as to how you can maximize your summer.
If you’re interested in a public school with an intimate academic feel, Berkeley is a really great option. The average student/teacher ratio is about 19:1, plus the vast majority (71%) of classes have fewer than 30 students. But with 33,000 undergraduates, it still offers a big-campus feel. And if you’re interested in the vibe of Northern California, be it landing a great internship in Silicon Valley or exploring the exquisite landscapes of the region, Berkeley is an excellent choice for you.
Berkeley’s academics are truly top tier. According to U.S. News & World Report, Berkeley offers the top History and Sociology programs in the country. The Berkeley English program is tied with Yale as #1 in the nation. The Berkeley College of Chemistry is tied with Cal Tech and MIT as the #1 program of its kind in the country. Computer Science is tied with three other schools for first place, as well. Berkeley Engineering, Earth Sciences, and Biological Sciences are both the #3 programs of their kind in the nation. The Haas School of Business is tied for #7 in the country. We could go on and on about their nationally ranked academics.
Looking for a personalized summer strategy geared towards your top-choice school? Call us. We’re experts at helping students match with their perfect schools.
Create a Plan
First, it’s important to understand the purpose of creating a summer strategy: as you’ve already figured out by now, college admissions are incredibly competitive. When you’re looking at close-to-single digit admissions, all aspects of your application really matter, including your resume. Many students think that packing their resumes with clubs and sports is a good way to impress admissions counselors. We advise our students to position themselves as experts in an academic area. Schools aren’t looking to admit generalists who played softball, joined the booster club, were vice president of the literature club and had a part-time job. They want to cultivate classes of experts in niche fields who will go onto be at the top of their professions. Show Berkeley that you’re already an expert in a very specific academic niche and that you plan to continue developing that expertise while at their school.
Emphasize Your Interests
We recommended focusing the summer on emphasizing that academic area of expertise. So, if you’re an entrepreneur planning on applying to Berkeley’s renowned Haas School of Business, brainstorm ways in which you can spend your summer really fleshing out that niche. Have an idea for a business? This is a great, low-risk time to try it out. Do you wash cars in your neighborhood as a job? Expand the business. Find a small local business you admire and ask if you can intern for the summer with the owner/founder. Interning with a small business is much better than working at a large, national corporation where you’ll just be getting coffee and making copies. The point is to show Berkeley that you actually spent the summer learning and developing your academic area.
Expand Your Academics
Taking summer classes is another great way to spend your free time. We recommend identifying a class (within your academic area of expertise) at a prestigious university. Berkeley (and schools like it) want to know that you spent your summers focused, working, and sharpening your tools, ideally in the direction of an area of interest in which you have a background. The class you take should be rigorous. Knitting, for example, isn’t a great use of your time this summer. Save it for a senior elective. Berkeley, itself, offers summer classes that might enhance your resume for all schools to which you’re applying, not just Berkeley. Ideally, you should aim to take a course within one of Berkeley’s (many) nationally ranked programs. What’s interesting about Berkeley’s Summer Sessions offerings is they also have field study classes that give students the opportunity to get outside of the classroom and into the physical world, especially for Environmental Science courses. Summer in Northern California is gorgeous. Spending it outside while also enhancing your resume isn’t a bad use of your time!
Have Fun…But Not Too Much Fun
High school can be tough. Applying to college can be really intense. We also want to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself and enjoying being a kid. So, make sure to strike a balance this summer, too. Hang out with friends. Relax. Go to a pool. Get outside (when it’s not too hot). You definitely don’t need to spend your summer working like you would during the school year. But don’t go too far in the other direction, either. Show your top-choice school that you applied yourself and put some thought and strategy into your summer.
We also want to mention that having a paying job (like working at a restaurant or being a lifeguard) is a perfectly acceptable way to spend your summer. Plenty of kids work throughout high school to help support their families and themselves. College admissions counselors understand this and will respect it. In fact, they have jobs, too! We recommend trying to land a job that has some connection to your academic area of expertise. So, if you really need to focus on bringing in some money this summer, that’s a great way to stack your resume, too. What’s crucial here is that you spend your summer with some kind of purpose.
Need help creating a summer strategy? Call us. We’re experts at helping kids build impressive summer resumes.