Summer Activities, Part II: Academic Coursework/Research
In last week’s blog, we discussed how summer is the optimal time to explore and deepen your interests in an impactful way. There are many ways to make your summers worthwhile, and another option beyond career exploration is to take academic courses or do academic research during the summer break. Before choosing a summer activity of your choice, ask yourself, “If I had more time, what would I be doing?” - and then utilize your extra time during the summer months to engage in those activities. If deepening your knowledge of a particular subject of interest is one of those things you are interested in, seeking out academic activities is a great choice for you.
Taking academic classes during summer vacation is a great way to demonstrate intellectual curiosity. Consider summer like a third semester in continued education. There are thousands of academic summer programs available at colleges and universities all over the country. These courses allow you to deepen your academic knowledge in very in-depth, specific coursework, but also has the added benefit of providing an understanding of what college life is like. The college or university you choose to take summer school from is not as important as just simply gaining more knowledge in the academic course itself. Certainly, you can choose academic programs that include staying overnight on the campus while simultaneously discovering the major or career pathway that’s right for you. Helpful websites such as www.summerstudyinusa.org are great ways to research such programs. But also just registering through your local college or university is a great way to demonstrate engagement and any research on any campus will give you the experience of what a college campus is. Your local community college is also an excellent choice and can provide a more cost-effective way to explore academic subjects in a meaningful way. Alternatively, you could put together your own summer college program by taking some online courses to explore coursework that fuels your passions. Attending speciality camps such as math or science camps is another wonderful way to utilize your time during summer.
Taking initiative and doing an independent project or research is equally as effective in deepening your academic interests. From writing up a research paper that can be submitted for publication, to compiling an art portfolio, to designing your own computer game - there are endless options for creating a tangible product that will help you engage in an academic way and could even potentially be included in your college application.
When choosing either an academic or career exploration route (as mentioned last week) for summer activities, just remember to tackle ONE interest during the summer and focus just on that. Don’t try to spread yourself too thin. By sticking to just one interest, it will help you determine whether or not you want to pursue that area of study further. Think of it as helping you become a “specialist’ in that area, instead of a “jack of all trades, master of none”. Being comfortable exploring and knowing what your interests are is much more advantageous than simply doing more. The focus should be on the quality of your activities, not quantity.
Stay tuned next week as we finish up our 3-part summer activity series and talk about community engagement as another way to make your summer break a productive one.