Better Ways to Spend Your Summer in High School

Summer is a great time to take a break, have fun and socialize with friends and family. It is also a great time to do something interesting and challenging that can help guide you to a better future.

There are hundreds of activities that you can get involved in that can better your chances of getting into the college of your dreams. The following are some suggestions on how you can more productively spend your high school summer.

1. Get an Internship

A lot of companies may not be interested in hiring high school students as interns; however, do not let that discourage you from applying. Your determination can help land you an interview or even a job! Ask your guidance counselor or family members for help on searching for the right internship for you.

Having a summer internship can help you get your first hands-on experience in the real world. Not only will you develop new skills and interests, but you will also learn how to network and work with professionals.

2. Volunteer

One of the best things that you can add to your resume for your college application is a volunteer experience. Whether you are volunteering at a hospital or building schools in Africa, a volunteer experience is a great addition to your self-growth and resume.

Volunteering not only shows goodwill, but it is also a great way to get hands-on experience in the real world, much like an internship or a summer job.

3. Get a Summer Job

Working at a coffee shop or a clothing store all summer may not seem like the most ideal thing to do while your friends are out having fun; however, you will be saving up money for college and getting a working experience.

Having a job is not only the first step towards independence (since you won’t be asking your parents for more allowance), but it is also a good step towards being more successful later in the future. The reason being that you learn to manage your time better and learn more skills that may turn out to be pretty useful later on in your life.

4. Study Abroad

If you have the opportunity to study abroad during one of your summers in high school, this is a MUST. Studying abroad enriches you in more ways than you can ever imagine.

Not only are you exposed to different cultures and experiencing new things, but you also have the opportunity to learn or ameliorate a second language. College admission boards love to see experiences like this.

5. Take Pre-College Courses

Many colleges offer summer programs for high school students where you can go to their campuses and take pre-college courses. In this case, you get a chance to experience what it would be like to be a college student for the summer.

There are hundreds of different programs that you can enroll in, all over the country. Do some research to see what sort of program would be the best fit for you. If the college of your dream offers a pre-college course, it will be in your best interest to apply for it.