This week, I launched a new, free guide, "Ten Things To Do the Summer before Senior Year." In just three days, we have close to 800 downloads. Clearly, this topic is on the minds of many. But it got me thinking about what's on my mind these days too.
I joined the 50-year-old club in February. Yet, I refuse to adopt the belief that it's too late for me to do more things, professionally and personally. I have several creative projects on my to-do list. And, now that my son joined the high school tennis team, it got me thinking I should get back into playing the sport I once loved. It's never too late to pursue something meaningful, especially if you are a high school student finishing up junior year.
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This summer is the most important summer of high school. For those students who want to get a leg up this summer, make a list of all the activities you have done during high school. What's missing?
1. If you have never had a paying job, spend your summer earning your own way.
Not every student will have a job in high school and colleges don't require one to get admitted. However, having a job (during the school year, summer, or both) shows tremendous responsibility. And you don't have to get a fancy job. In fact, manual labor jobs are highly respected by admissions officers.
2. If you don't have any community service hours (or very little), consider giving back this summer.
Just make sure that it doesn't cost you or your family money to volunteer. There's a reason it's called "community service." Admissions officers would much rather see you serve your local community than spend money to travel or stay somewhere else that is far, far away. Again, just like a paying job, community service is technically not required for college admissions, but most successful college applicants have at least one community service activity to report.
3. If you don't have "evidence" to support your major choice, use this summer to get it.
One of the most powerful ways to strengthen your application is to have at least one extracurricular experience that backs up your major choice. For example, if you want to list history as your major choice on your applications and you don't have any activities to support it, consider working or volunteering at your town's historical society or history museum this summer. You might kill two birds with one stone by doing so. Not only will you gain experience in your field of interest, you could get paid or serve your community at the same time!
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My good friend, Zarna Garg, is a few days younger than me. She just turned 50 like I did. This month, she is filming her pilot, Zarna, for CBS, promoting her new book, This American Woman: A One in a Billion Memoir, and celebrating the premiere of A Nice Indian Boy in which she has a starring role in. Zarna reminds me that it's never too late—not for a fellow 50-year-old woman, nor a high school student—to pursue one's dreams.
