Flickr user Ken Slade
There’s plenty you can do over the summer to strengthen your college application. Here’s a college application timeline of things you can do specifically for your summer:
Work On Your Essays
For most students, writing compelling college essays is the most challenging part of their college application. Keeping this for the last minute does not help either. Getting started with working on your essays over the summer will give you ample time to mull over ideas, tweak your essay and even change tracks if you feel the first idea isn’t working.
Get a Tutor For Your Weaker Subjects
One weak subject can pull down your overall high school grades, potentially lowering your chances of getting accepted into your top choice colleges. If you are struggling with one or two subjects, studying with a tutor in those subjects during the summer will help you fare better in your final exams.
Enroll In A Summer Program
Several colleges hold summer programs for high school students. This is the perfect opportunity to get a head start on the program you are planning on enrolling in while also boosting your college application. Students who attend summer programs in their prospective field of study are less likely to drop out of college midway through the course. This makes you an ideal applicant in the eyes of the admissions authorities. Summer programs are extremely popular so make sure to do your homework on the programs available and book your place early.
Take Up A Job Or Do An Internship
Work experience of any kind, whether a summer job or an internship, teaches you valuable skills that will hold you in good stead through college. Listing work experience in your application proves to the college authorities that you can manage your time effectively, and that you are responsible, hard-working, organized and capable of working as part of a team. These are all qualities that colleges look for when assessing the applications they receive.
Spend Time Reading
How does reading help your application? Lots of ways, but most importantly it will improve your language skills, which will help you boost your ACT/SAT scores. All other things being equal, higher test scores will give you the edge over other applicants. Make sure you keep aside a few hours every week to read.
Study for the ACT/SAT
As we said before, high test scores can make all the difference. However, there’s hardly any time to study for these tests during the school term. Summer is the only large chunk of free time you are going to get. Schedule in some time to study for the ACT/SAT and if you can, consider taking the test during the summer. With the test out of the way, you can focus on other areas of your application.
Don’t let the summer slip by without working on your college application. There are several little things you can and they all add up to create a strong application that will help you get into the college of your choice.
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