As the school year starts to wind down and with summer right around the corner, it’s common to daydream about what you’ll do with your newfound free time. While relaxation is key to combating stress and showing up to the new school year ready to do your best, summer is an amazing time to start thinking about applying to college, building your resume, or preparing yourself for the challenges of the upcoming school year.
While we encourage you to spend some time relaxing, the Marks Education team knows that summer can be a game changer when it comes to self-improvement. When school starts, you’re going to be thrown back into the world of extracurriculars and homework, but during the summer, you have a little time on your hands that you can use to set yourself up for success and achieve your goals.
1. Spend Time Boosting Your SAT and ACT® Scores
Standardized test scores are an important part of your college applications– especially as more schools are returning to test-required policies– and without the additional pressures of coursework, summer is the perfect time to focus your energy on mastering the SAT/ACT®.
Some students start their summer with specific target areas for improvement in mind. Others start by identifying which subjects– math, reading, or writing– need the most attention. If a student isn’t sure which test is right for them or best suited to their skills, we often recommend taking a baseline test, which can help you diagnose issues for improvement. Marks Education offers baseline testing every Saturday this summer; contact us now to reserve your spot.
If you’re interested in professional SAT/ACT® tutoring over the summer, consider enrolling in one of our standardized testing packages. Marks Education’s test prep tutoring sessions are designed with your student’s strengths and weaknesses in mind. Our expert team has helped hundreds of students improve their test scores, and we hope to help you become one of them.
2. Prepare for Fall Classes
Many students plan to take AP, honors, or other advanced coursework during their junior and senior years. If you’re one of those students, summer is the perfect time to start preparing.
It helps to spend time considering the material you covered in the previous year. If you struggled with a particular subject, you might benefit from reviewing it while it’s still fresh in your mind. This will help you familiarize yourself with key concepts that might reappear in the fall.
Even the best intending students sometimes struggle with the self-guided nature of pre-class prep, especially in the summer. Some have unrealistic expectations of themselves, and others fail to plan adequately. That’s why our 12-session Summer Math or Reading & Writing Programs are a great fit for students looking for custom growth. After a free consultation, our expert team will work alongside your student to identify weak areas, develop study skills, and help them better understand the material. Don’t wait! Contact us today!
3. Participate in Meaningful Summer Activities
Extracurricular activities are another important component of your college application. They show admissions readers who you are and how you spend your time outside of the classroom. Summer is a great time to ramp up your participation in activities you care about. This could mean taking it upon yourself to run an extra mile every day to prepare for soccer tryouts, learning new skills to bring into that fall robotics club, or taking a leadership course to prepare for your year as class president.
You might also consider participating in a college summer prep program. Many colleges and universities offer summer programs that are focused on any number of topics: STEM, business, arts, or humanities. These programs are great for expanding your knowledge, giving you a taste of life on a college campus, and providing a chance to show your devotion to a certain field. However, you don’t have to spend the time and money required to attend college-organized programs to have an impressive summer. Colleges are equally, if not more, impressed by the students who take the initiative to create their own opportunities.
Many schools require volunteer hours and internships, which are a great way to dip your toes into the professional space this summer. Whether you’re volunteering at a local non-profit, helping with research in a lab, or running a local clothing drive, these experiences help demonstrate your initiative and commitment to bettering yourself.
And don’t forget about summer jobs! Summer jobs are a great way to show colleges that you’re hardworking and can balance competing responsibilities. A summer job also doesn’t have to be glamorous to impress colleges. Waiting tables, selling movie tickets, or cleaning your local gym all help build important professional skills that colleges will be excited to see.
4. Take College Tours and Demonstrate Interest
While Marks Education tends to recommend that students visit schools at times when they can see the campus in action – summer is still a very convenient time to take college tours.
Trying to squeeze in even a few college tours and finding a way to take specific notes while you’re there will be a huge help when it comes time to write your supplemental essays and form your college list. You might learn that your previously top-choice school, which you only viewed online, actually isn’t a fit for you – or just the opposite, you might learn it’s absolutely perfect!
5. Start Writing Your College Essays
Did you know that summer is also the perfect time for rising seniors to be writing their college personal statements? While supplemental essays might be challenging to tackle over the summer as you might not have finalized your list yet, your personal statement will remain the same for almost every school you apply to. Therefore, it’s great to get this 650-word essay out of the way while you have fewer responsibilities on your plate.
The personal statement, due to its length and the prompts, requires applicants to think seriously and creatively about themselves, their experiences, and aspirations. This kind of personal insight often requires lots of deep thinking and time spent revising. That’s why we recommend that students utilize any time they have over the summer to start, and hopefully complete, their personal statement. Starting the school year with even just a draft will save you a lot of time and stress.
Conclusion
Looking for help filling up your summer and making sure your college application pursuits are off to a great start? We’re happy to help! The Marks Education team has been helping students apply to college and plan their educational journeys for over 20 years, and we’re excited to help you and your family make important college-related decisions.
