College Planning & Admissions Blog

New & Noteworthy: 4 Reasons to explore a STEM Summer Program

2/27/2019

TeenLife posted an interesting article on the value of STEM summer programs for students of all ages.
Check out this TeenLife Blog.

How to Find Effective Extracurricular Activities to Enhance Your College Application

10/30/2015

Model UN Students at an event in Europe.

Model U.N. students, via Wikimedia Commons. Image credit: Hendrik Wohlfahrt

When evaluating a student’s college application, admissions officers consider a number of different factors: grades, level of coursework, standardized test scores, and more, including extracurricular activities. If you’re a high school student looking ahead to college and trying to optimize your high school career for the application process, which extracurricular activities to participate is important.

However, which activities are best for you are ultimately going to depend on your interests and goals. The most important part of choosing extracurricular activities is to find those you are genuinely passionate about, and through which you will be motivated to demonstrate true leadership and accomplishment. It is not necessary to find the most prestigious-sounding activities, or scramble to list as many on your application as possible.

Whatever extracurriculars you choose, they will demonstrate to college admissions officers that you’re capable of time management, self-motivation, taking responsibility, teamwork and other qualities that are desirable in a potential college candidate. If you’re not sure what you like there are plenty of ways to explore and find what interests you.

If you’re a freshman or sophomore in high school, you still have time to explore and find what options are available. Look into which clubs and afterschool activities are offered at your school. Many schools offer a clubs and activities fair at the start of the school year. You can often get involved in volunteer opportunities at your house of worship, or local community centers and civic programs such as the Police Explorers Club or EMS. There are other local and national organizations special interest programs such as Odyssey of the Mind, International Mathematical Olympiad, Model U.N. and local Youth Film Festivals or Art Fairs that are among many options available. Don’t be afraid to try different things.

Engineering students posing with robots they created for a competition.

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

If you have more specific career goals in mind or you’re still looking to build a portfolio of extracurriculars into your junior or senior years of high school, you should probably look for activities involving the things you already know you like. If you’re passionate about writing or literature, try submitting stories or poems for publication, or take a position on the student newspaper. If your interests and goals are more science or technology-oriented, consider tutoring or participating in honors societies, or other academic groups .Aspiring business majors could spearhead a volunteer drive, or find leadership-oriented activities. Summer programs or internships could also be valuable extracurriculars. Don’t forget the value of after school part-time jobs that can demonstrate responsibility, self-reliance and maturity.

Remember, quality and accomplishment are more important than quantity. One or two extracurricular activities through which you truly show commitment and leadership will be far more valuable on a college application than ten activities for which you did little more than show up for attendance. It’s also important not to overburden yourself. There are only so many hours in a day, and it’s already hard enough for any high school student to juggle course work, family and social lives, and a regular sleep schedule. Do what you love, but don’t bite off more than you can chew.

If you’re interested in receiving custom, one-on-one guidance through every step of the college application process, the admissions consultants at College Docs offer Personalized College Action Plans including help with essays, applications, SATs and ACTs, extracurricular choices, and more. With over 25 years working with high school students and professional membership in groups like IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association) and the New England Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC), the team at College Docs help you find the right college and path for you. Contact College Docs today to learn more.

Taking Advantage of the Summer

6/10/2014

Comments

When planning for college much thought often goes into setting up the high school curriculum, joining clubs and arranging for local community service.. Yet sometimes the summer opportunities are forgotten. There are numerous interesting programs, usually ranging from one to four weeks, that offer a variety of options for teens.

Students may want to beef up their transcripts to be more competitive at college application time. Maybe they are lacking in AP classes, or want to explore a possible area of interest to major in at college, or show some skills they haven't been able to demonstrate at their high school.

There are summer programs that offer students interesting classes to challenge them, sometimes for college credit. Courses range from forensic science and technology to creative writing and global studies, from law and architecture to sports management and business marketing.

Some students want to enhance their experiences beyond high school opportunities. They can get involved in service projects or travel outside the U.S. in language immersion programs or to experience different cultures. They may want to pursue music or theater in depth and work with professionals in the arts. Or become involved in business or political programs with internships and leadership councils.

Other students want the chance to live on a college campus to see what it's like. They may not have had many experiences living away from home, being out of their comfort zone, dealing with roommates and making independent decisions. Many colleges have their own summer offerings, both academic and recreational, for high school students or host teen programs that utilize their facilities. This can help students gain confidence in themselves, help them develop their college list, and offer chances for dialogues with peers and lifelong friendships.

Some pre-college enrichment programs with an academic focus are: Explo, SummerStudy, SummerDiscovery, Junior State of America(JSA), and National Student Leadership Conference.

Community service and/or study abroad programs include: Builders Beyond Borders, Habitat for Humanity, Visions Service Adventures, People to People, Westcoast Connection, Rein Teen Tours community service programs, Abbey Road, Global Youth Village International Summer Program, Global Works, SPI Study Abroad, ID Tech teen programs in programming, game design & development and film, and American University's Discover the World of Communication.

These are a few of the many colleges that have one or more summer programs specially designed for high school students: Duke Univ, Ithaca College, Emerson College, Carnegie Mellon Univ, Cornell Univ., University of Maryland, Ringling College of Art and Design, Alfred Univ., University of Pennsylvania, Syracuse Univ., Brown Univ., and Johns Hopkins University.

This is not to say that getting a local job to develop responsibility and earn some cash is not also valuable. Many colleges find it to be a positive sign of maturity and a student's investment in their future. However, as one can see, there are a plethora of exciting and unique programs available for students of all interests. And while some of them are rather expensive, often these opportunities can lead to amazing growth and increase motivation and confidence going forward into the college years.

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New & Noteworthy: 4 Reasons to explore a STEM Summer Program

How to Find Effective Extracurricular Activities to Enhance Your College Application

Taking Advantage of the Summer

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