So you’re going into senior year in, is it only five months already? And you’re starting to panic about a resume that’s a little…thin? There’s good news and bad news.
First the bad: You can’t pack several years worth of interesting activities into one summer. Even if you could, your strategy would be woefully obvious on your college apps. Every college admissions officer will tell you it’s not quantity that counts, it’s quality—a small number of extracurricular interests is fine, but show passion, and show consistency.
It’s hard to take up working in a homeless shelter all of a sudden without a track record and then claim you’re “passionate about” social justice. But here’s the good news: If you’ve got one big thing planned for summer or even a couple of part-time things, think about supplementing with something that ties together interests where you already have a backstory. One extra activity that ties into something where you have demonstrated interest can add depth and perhaps a compelling experience that will have made your summer more worthwhile.
For example, one senior I know has played basketball forever. He was incoming captain of his high school team for senior year, and had worked at basketball camps for a couple of years. He also volunteered at an animal shelter. Why not combine the interests to do a service project that was a senior requirement? He organized a basketball tournament that would raise funds for the shelter, and brought dogs to the venue for an adopt-a-dog day.
A high school junior I know started a literacy program for adults as part of a project at her Chicago school. She is also a lifelong dancer who participates in dance outside her school. Her summer looks pretty full, but her resume could use a little boost. How about combining her real record of service (in addition to literacy she has other things) and her long association with dance to volunteer at a city program teaching kids to dance? We researched this together and found a handful of promising leads.
Another young woman I know who will be a rising senior has vowed to make this the summer of her getting out of her comfort zone. A student at a very small high school, she has felt typecast for as long as she can remember. Her mantra is pushing herself to try different things. To that end, she’ll do a two-week adventure/service program in Indonesia (although she knows it’s the kiss of death to make this an essay topic on her apps), among a quirky few other things she has up her sleeve. She also has a paying job.
Signing up for random activities or just to fill time isn’t the idea—but use every bit of your summer to explore who you are, to interact, and to give back in some way. Be an active citizen while working toward the independence and maturity that will show colleges you know who you are when you sit down to share your story with them in the essays.
Some ideas:
o Get a job—you’d be surprised how many kids don’t.
o Have a talent? Start a mini-camp for kids. Like art? So do little kids. It could even be as simple as games and lemonade for kids in the neighborhood from 5-6 three days a week—just when mom would love them out of the house and away from a screen. You’ll get paid, too.
o Do some off-the-beaten path volunteering. Get into the city; recruit a couple of friends and go. Open your eyes.
o Volunteer for a political campaign. It’s an election year—opportunities are there no matter what your political persuasion, and campaigns love volunteers. You may be asked to work phones or knock on doors, but ask to sit it on meetings and go to events with the candidate—it’ll be more exciting than you think.
o Take a class at a college or university—some are still taking applications. Programs range from two to four weeks, usually. These are good if you can find a class in an area that you can speak to in a genuine way—political science for the budding IR major, for example. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that class you took at Georgetown or Columbia will make it any easier to get in—schools say it means little. But it can give you an idea of whether you like that school, its campus, the town, etc.
Whatever you choose, be sure you leave a little bit of time to get started on those college applications. Once senior year rolls around, you’ll be glad you did.