Post-COVID Summer Tips
Post-COVID Summer Tips
After over two years of pandemic-related restrictions, we are finally entering a time when the world is largely open for in-person experiences again. For many of you, this is a welcome relief as you approach college application season. It expands your opportunities to jumpstart your process by engaging in meaningful experiences that weren’t possible last summer.
Whether you’re a rising senior or still have a little way to go before you apply to college, keep the following tips in mind as you prepare for your upcoming summer.
Choose Passion over Prestige
There is always a temptation to search for a program at the most recognized or highest ranked school. But admissions officers are more interested in whether what you do furthers a passion that you have than they are concerned with where you do it. You may not realize it, but many summer programs at elite colleges are not directly affiliated with the faculty or curriculum of that school. The substance of the program you choose will matter much more than the location.
If you decide that you want to dedicate part of your summer to taking college courses, first be sure to clarify what you hope to learn. How will what you study enhance your overall knowledge or expertise in an area of passion? Can you choose something really specific to your interests that will help set you apart from the pack?
By opting for passion over prestige, you demonstrate to admissions officers that you have a clear focus and a strong drive to see it through.
Consider the Road Less Traveled
What can you do that other people aren't? This is an important question to ask yourself not just about your college process but about every interest or passion you wish to pursue.
One of the best ways to differentiate yourself from other students is to explore opportunities off the beaten path. This will inevitably require you to do a little more work and possibly to design your own plan of action. But the payoff can be quite rewarding both in terms of what you learn, the skills you gain, and how admissions officers view your work.
Remember, there is no magic list of perfect activities you can complete to gain admissions. Cultivating a thoughtful and personal body of work over time will help shape you into the kind of candidate that admissions officers clamor to have on their campuses.
Help Someone Else
As you consider how you want to spend your summer, think about the impact you can make in the life of someone else. All of your activities and passions will be more meaningful when they serve a purpose beyond yourself.
This doesn't have to be on a large scale. To the contrary, often doing something extensive on a local or small scale can demonstrate to admissions officers exactly how tuned in you are to the issues you say that you care about. How can you use your passions to make someone's life or job easier?
If, for example you're interested in social media, perhaps you can apply that to redesigning the digital presence of a cause or local organization that means something to you. If your interest is computer science, perhaps you can design a code or build the website for a similar company. Maybe you like being outdoors: perhaps you can use that to help local elementary school students discover a love for nature too. Thinking beyond accolades and trophies will help you earn something ultimately more satisfactory and, ironically, more appealing to admissions officers.
Build a Foundation for Future Summers
If you have more than one summer before you apply to college, keep the long game in mind. Try to imagine all that you hope to accomplish in terms of pursuing your passions by the time you graduate. Then consider what skills you need to build or knowledge you need to gain between now and then to bring your goals to fruition.
Perhaps you need to bolster your computer science acumen or take an advance math class to make an internship possible. Maybe an art intensive this summer will better position you to create a portfolio the following year. The more your activities build upon each other, the stronger the narrative you create around yourself.
Remember, your activities have as much meaning as you allow them to have. Dive in deeply build a strong foundation for future success.
Make a Plan
Don’t leave your summer up to chance. Make a plan to maximize your time and your story. Working with an admissions consultant is a strong way to keep yourself on track and vet the merits of your ideas with someone who understands the process fully.
It has become increasingly clear that an already overly competitive admissions process grows more complicated with each cycle. Position yourself for success as best you can by creating and sticking to a long-term game plan.
The expert admissions consultants at Wise World Prep have helped hundreds of students maximize their potential of being admitted to their top choice colleges and universities. Over 20 years, we have successfully guided students through each stage of the application process – from choosing competitive high school courses to building an appropriate college list to drafting winning essays to writing persuasive update and appeals letters. We would be happy to answer your questions and partner with you to create a successful admissions roadmap.
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