Making The Most of Summer
Even in a slower-paced summer, there are opportunities to bolster your college applications. The most common activities we recommend include volunteering, internships, summer jobs, shadowing professionals in the community, or taking on a side project or side hustle.
Summer Volunteer Opportunities
Internships/Shadowing
The prospect of finding and securing an internship or shadowing opportunity can seem daunting, but if you are willing to ask, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the number of adults in your community who are happy to help a student find their passion. If you have a career path or an area of interest you are pursuing, simply reaching out to professionals in your area with a genuine, well-written inquiry could provide a great lead. Don’t forget to tap into your own network – your parents’ friends, teachers, and adults in your church or faith community can all be excellent resources.
Shadowing for is a great alternative to an internship. An internship implies you will have some responsibilities or small projects to complete, but shadowing means you would simply observe the professionals in action for a period of time. As a result, some professionals will see shadowing as lower risk and lower obligation on their part, and they may be more willing to offer you an opportunity. For a great list of questions to ask the professional you are shadowing, see our list of recommended informational interview questions here.
Some internships are for the full summer, but often they are only one to two weeks. Internships are your opportunity to “try on” a career path to see if it fits your goals and expectations. Those insights can catapult you into a new career, or they help you avoid a track that’s not meant for you. Either way, it’s valuable information to have and rich fuel for college essays and supplement writing.
Summer Jobs
2. What are you learning about the business world/medical field/etc. in your job?
3. Do you prefer to work alone or in teams?
4. Does interacting with the public/new people fuel you, or drain you?
5. Are there specific stories or interactions you’ve had at your job that have been memorable or insightful for you? Why?
Side Projects/Side Hustles
If you have a small business of your own, answering key questions can help give you perspective on how to frame your business in a college application:
1. How did you recognize the need for the product or service you provide?
2. Based on your sales trends, what have you learned about your customers’ behaviors and what they value?
3. How did you decide what to charge? Did you ever change your pricing, and if so, what was the result?
4. What was the hardest part of running your business?
5. Knowing what you know now, what would do differently if you could start the business over?