Summer always seems to go by so fast. I don’t know how this happens every single year, but it feels like the time just flies by. One minute, it's June and the campus feels eerily quiet, and the next it's the end of August and our once lonely campus is again bustling with both returning and new students.
For rising seniors in high school, summer is an interesting time. There are a lot of ways that students can spend this break from school. From work, travel, research, classes, and everything in between, it seems like the possibilities are endless. In my opinion, one of these options is in no way better than rest. We want students to spend their summer in a way that is meaningful to them! That said, I think summer is also a great time to do some deep thinking and exploring regarding the college admissions process. Without the stress of AP exams, problems sets, and essays, your mind is hopefully a little more clear. With about a month of summer remaining, here are some ideas to help any rising seniors!
- Visit and explore different campuses: Whether a campus is a short drive or a flight away, summer is great time to visit and do research on different schools. Even though there are not as many students around, the summer tour guides here are more than happy to spend extra time with you to talk about their experience. As we begin to welcome more and more visitors to campus each day, we suggest that you register in advance here and if that isn’t possible, be sure to check out our virtual tour
- Talk with loved ones: With a clear mind, summer is a great time to talk to your family, close friends and mentors about where your head is at. Ask questions, have difficult discussions and talk your feelings out. I often that simply talking through my thoughts brings me a lot more clarity.
- Reflect: After talking with loved ones, take some time to yourself to reflect. In the end, where you apply, what you write about in your essays and where you eventually attend should be your decision. Think long and hard about what kind of school you are looking for, what kind of location you think you will thrive in and what kind of community you want to be a part of. This whole process should be introspective, and summer is the time to allow yourself to be with your thoughts.
- Start thinking about your essays: When students ask me for essay advice, I always tell them to try and have fun with their writing. While I acknowledge that writing college essays is not going to be the highlight of your life thus far, I think it is important to have fun and let your voice come through. The bottom line is that if you have fun writing your essays, I (or another admissions officer) is going to have fun reading it! For all you early birds, you can check out the supplement questions for the upcoming admissions cycle here
Back in Bendetson Hall, summer is the main time for us to relax and re-group for the year ahead. Highlights include three (yes, three!) admissions officers who vacationed to Japan, one who is training for an ironman triathlon (look it up, its insane) and many others who are taking time to visit loved ones.
What are my plans for the summer? I have already gone back to the California twice to see my family (one trip did include a trip to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios) and am in the midst of planning a long weekend in New York. I am also trying to catch as many Boston Red Sox games as possible, exploring some of the great markets in Boston (like SOWA!) and spending a lot of time in the sun with friends. Also, let’s not forget playing in the office softball league where I get to play a friendly (or sometimes, rather competitive) game of softball against my old professors.