by Joanne Apesos
6/11/2014

What You Need to Know About College Admissions: How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Final exams are right around the corner and finishing the school year with good grades is of utmost importance. But I bet you can’t wait to enjoy the lazy, crazy days of summer….beach fun, sleeping late, hanging with friends and just taking the time to relax!

Rising juniors: don’t get too laidback!  There are important things you can do this summer to strengthen your college applications as you grow and learn more about yourself and your career interests.  Here are some suggestions:

1. Read – Read books you didn’t have time to read during the school year.  Read the classics, read what interests you, read anything you can get your hands on.  You can also read college admissions books, for example:  Colleges That Change Lives, Cool Colleges, College Essays That Made a Difference, Fiske’s Real College Essays That Work.
2. Follow your passions!  Identify what interests you and find local organizations dedicated to it. For example, if you love animals contact the local humane society or find a vet that you can work for.  If the environment is your passion find a green company or CSA Farm (Community Supported Agriculture) and experience it!  Start your own business! Summer is also a great time to do informational interviews and job shadowing of professionals in fields of your interest.
3. Write – begin to jot down your thoughts and ideas in a journal.  Yes, maybe Mr. Murphy required you to do this in Creative Writing, but continuing to write will help with the dreaded college essay (more on this next month). It may spark a thought that could expand into an interesting essay.  It doesn’t take long, just 15 minutes or so a day but writing will help you focus, think about who you are and your future! Make it a goal to have at least a rough draft of college essay before school begins in the fall. 
4. Visit colleges- Summer is not the optimal time to be visiting schools, but it is better than not visiting.  There will be fewer students on campus but you will see the place, talk to professionals (admissions people work year-round), get a tour of the campus and perhaps talk to a professor in your major (if you’ve chosen one). You can always go back for a second look during the academic year.
5. Work & Save – With the high cost of college it makes sense to work during the summer months.

Jobs provide an opportunity for you to develop good work habits, learn how to work with people and learn a skill (believe it or not, making lattes may help you somewhere down the line). Save as much as you can for college.

1. Pre-college programs – Whether you’re interested in art or computer science, theater or engineering, there’s sure to be a pre-college summer program that’s right for you. Ranging in length from one to six weeks, these programs are designed to immerse you in a specific field of study, giving you the opportunity to really explore a topic that interests you.  However, keep in mind that getting accepted to Brown’s Emerging Writers Institute, for example, does not make admission to the university any easier.
2. Learn something new - Take a course at Mass Bay Community College, Framingham State, or Dean College.  MOOCS (Massively Open Online Courses) are free online courses originally offered at universities like MIT, UCLA, Carnegie-Mellon, etc.  You may be able to earn college credit (although this may cost you) taking courses through Coursera.com, Edx.com, Udacity.com, novoed.com. For more information go to http://www.mooc.ca/providers.htm

Whatever you choose to do over your summer vacation, put some thought into it and make the most of your free time!

Finally, congratulations to all of the 2014 seniors and their parents!  Graduating from high school is a special rite of passage so enjoy every minute of it (but be safe)!  Parents, you did a great job and I bet you can’t wait to get them out the door! 

Joanne Clary Apesos is the owner of College Pursuits, a college counseling business in Holliston. She has advised high school students and their families in planning their college experience for many years and has presented HEF workshops for students and parents about the college selection process.  Prior to assisting high school students she worked in higher education for 20+ years as an admissions counselor, adjunct faculty and director of student activities at both public and private colleges and universities in the Northeast.  She holds a master’s degree in Higher Education from Columbia University and is currently enrolled in UCLA’s College Counseling Certificate Program. She can be reached at joanneapesos@gmail.com.