Uh oh, did you just start making a college resume only to find out you can only fill half a page and your most impressive extracurricular is “JV muffin baking?” Are you simply just looking to find your wow factor this summer? Well, here are some of the best ways to be productive this summer vacation—and gain valuable experience for college along the way.
Attend Summer Pre-Collegiate Programs
Summer programs are a great way to show your interest in and commitment to a certain subject or passion, and some even offer rewards like college credit or cash prizes. They can be residential (where you live on the campus), commuter (where you must travel daily to the campus), or remote (virtual). There might still be a few summer programs out there with open admissions, so if you find one you are interested in, apply fast! Keep in mind that some are costly and unrewarding, so if you can’t find any that seem worth it for the price, you may want to look into some other activities!
Take on a Part-Time Job
A part-time job is a fantastic way to show commitment to a professional activity outside of school while also making money! Check online and ask around at local businesses to see whether they’re open to hiring high schoolers, even just for the summer, and find a job that fits your schedule and pay standards. Better yet, look for one that relates to your academic interests (e.g., if you like history, see if your local library is hiring librarian assistants)!
Work On a Research Project
Do you think you have what it takes to complete a college-level research project in your field of interest? If you have the qualifications, you can cold email local college professors and other nearby professionals to see if they would accept an assistant or shadow. Or, you could develop your project completely on your own—if the finished product is good enough, you could try to get it published in a journal for high school students!
Land a Remote or Local Internship
Internships are probably one of the best ways to show true dedication to a particular subject while also demonstrating your ability to work in a formal work environment. Many businesses are beginning to open their internships, paid or unpaid, to highly qualified high school students who can prove they would be a valuable addition to the team. Scour job sites like Indeed or ZipRecruiter for local or remote opportunities, or simply reach out to up-and-coming small and local businesses nearby with your resume handy to see if they’d appreciate a new employee.
Dedicate Yourself to a Big Project
Alright, summer is approaching (or already here) and you don’t have the time, money, or experience for any of these ideas. What now?! Don’t worry—you still have a chance to do something great. Brainstorm a massive project in your academic area of interest that you think you can complete this summer, and just work on it as much as you can. This could be anything: a nonprofit organization for a relevant cause, a startup business with a genius idea, or even just some sort of machine, program, or other model that does something cool. As long as you do something, something meaningful and something that you dedicate yourself to, that is.
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