You’re like, officially a high school student now. You are about to finish your sophomore year and become a *rising junior* and all that entails. You know, from your older friends and family scaring you, that junior and senior year get intense. There’s something more serious… more dignified… about 11 and 12 that 10 just doesn’t have. And so in preparation for this more challenging year, you might be tempted to take it easy this summer. Relax. Do nothing. Terrible idea.
Summer is one of your only uninterrupted chunks of time to explore the things you’re too busy to do during school. You can try new things, dive deep into established interests, and build out your niche even more. We’ve compiled a list of ideas to help you get started on your sophomore summer.
Take a class
Hopefully, by now, you’ve identified a few academic interests that could translate into a potential major in college. They don’t need to be crazy specific (yet), they can be as broad as “business” or “math” or “engineering” for now. You can use your time over the summer to take online classes (we recommend Coursera!) to help you narrow down from “business” to “behavioral economics and market research.” When you take a class, especially an introductory course, make sure to note which topics in those classes sparked the most curiosity for you. This will help you figure out which rabbit hole to go down next.
Attend a summer program
Now that you’ve hopefully identified some areas of interest, it’s time to put yourself to work. Lots of colleges have summer programs dedicated to super niche areas, but if you’re not quite there yet, there are also pre-college programs at most top-tier colleges. This means you’ll get to take a college class, generally on campus, and get a glimpse of what college might feel like all while potentially earning college credit. If you’re having a hard time finding what you want to do, we’ve got tons of posts on the blog about specific summer programs for different majors.
Tour colleges
What does your college list look like? Do you even have one? You should do that.
Then, it’s time to go on tour. We don't necessarily think college tours are the most important thing you can do with your time, nor are they that important for figuring out what school you want to go to. BUT, it can be a good glimpse into a campus and what it’s like. Remember, tours are generally given by the most enthusiastic students at each school and they’re trying to present the absolute best of their school. So take it with a grain of salt.
Intern (maybe)
Internships for high school students are generally not the most involved. We don’t want you to get an internship if all you’ll be doing is getting coffee and making copies and sitting around. It’s hard to find something worthwhile that will give you the experience you need, but if you can find it, go for it.
Look for an experience that has structured work, where you’ll actually have produced something by the end of it. You want to be able to talk about it in a resume or activities section in some detail. Be discerning and ask questions when you’re trying to find the right place to spend a few weeks.
Get a job
Even better than an unpaid internship? A paying job! While thankfully we have child labor laws that prevent youths from working, you’re like 15-16, so you’re good to go. Getting a job that works with your niche can be hard as a teen, so you might have to think creatively. If you are interested in environmental studies, maybe a stint at a nursery or recycling plant is the way to go. Interested in business? Get a job at a local small business, or even better, start a business. What you choose should at least be somewhat related to your niche!
The summer is your most uninterrupted block of free time. Three of these blocks can be represented on your college applications, so make the most of them. It doesn’t matter if you have the most perfect plan to explore your interests right now, but you should be taking steps to realize your goals. Colleges like to see consistency and they like to see that students have worked hard to explore their interests.
If you need help developing your extracurriculars, planning your summer, or strategizing for college admissions, reach out to us today.