Meaningful summer activities often translate into excellent college essays. Whether it be a local villager your teen meets while volunteering on a service program in Latin America, an instructor who mentors them on campus in a pre-college academic setting, these types of formidable experiences help to create your student’s unique story.   

When contemplating how to make the most of your high schooler’s summer, DO NOT focus on what you or they think “looks good” on an application. Instead, DO think about what interests and excites them most. This genuineness will make for a more enjoyable summer experience, and his or her authenticity will shine through in their essay. Are they curious about world languages and culture? How about channeling his or her inner creativity designing a metal sculpture…or a robotic prototype?

My own high school senior capitalized on the impact soccer has played in his life. Through teaching soccer to special needs kids as well as mentoring younger athletes in the sports camp he attended, Zach discovered the impact he had on children who needed it most. The inspiration and confidence he helped create within these young players along with the life lessons of leadership he learned from these experiences, are proving invaluable. These experiences showed him first hand how helping others and giving back makes one feel and simultaneously provided him with a stand out essay topic that demonstrated to admissions officers who he is as a person and as an applicant. 

TIPS advisors can help with finding a summer experience that piques your student’s interest. The right summer experience will help them begin to create their own, unique story.  And, before you know it, they may have just formulated that essay topic.