It’s Not Too Late for Summer Planning

This past school year flew by in a whirlwind of late-night cramming, AP exam preparation, school projects, and endless homework assignments. Now, summer is upon us. If you’re entering summer break with zero plans and an overwhelming sense of dread, we’re here to help! Our list below includes a great variety of summer activities to consider, and it’s not too late to pursue all of them. Whether you need help finding specific opportunities, setting priorities, or completing applications, our counselors at Meridian Prep are here to assist you.

Summer Volunteer Work

Volunteerism is a great way to help others and build skills. Volunteering will help you learn new skills, meet new people, and gain experience for future jobs or internships. You can find opportunities in your local community, or even abroad with a wide-variety of organizations and causes. 

Steps to selecting a volunteer program:

  • Find a cause: Do you care about protecting the environment? Improving quality of life for specific groups of people? Rallying political support for an individual or piece of legislation?  Pursuing what you’re passionate about will provide the motivation for you to fully invest in the project and seek out growth within the program, rather than focusing on obtaining a set number of volunteer hours.

  • Research programs related to your cause: search listings for local community organizations, national non-profits, student run organizations through your school, or programs like Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts.

  • Complete applications and interviews as needed (see “Internships” below for interview preparation tips)

Summer Camps

Specific skills camps. These are often the most popular, because they allow students to develop particular hobbies or areas of interest at an accelerated rate. Examples include computer programming, acting/theater, art and design, music, and more.

  • Personal growth camps. Here, campers work on improving their self-esteem and confidence through activities like dancing or sports—and maybe even some fun experiments in the science lab!

  • Career-oriented camps. If your child has a particular career path in mind for themselves (or even several), these types of summer programs will help them learn about what it's like to work in that field while also providing mentorship opportunities with professionals who've already made successful careers out of the same interests or passions they've got now. While many of the most competitive programs are already filled, several universities are still accepting applications for rolling admissions. We have a few examples below, and a Meridian Prep counselor can connect you with more options:

    • Georgetown: business, politics, law, medicine, forensic science, data science

    • Cornell Online: science & technology, applied economics and management, biology, psychology, veterinary medicine, law

    • Boston Leadership Institute: science, engineering/tech, medicine, business

Community College Courses

If your summer is already planned, take a moment to consider the courses that will help you grow. Take a look at what interests you, what skills you want to learn, and if there are any academic subjects that need extra attention. You should also consider what career aspirations can be further developed with some extra training in the classroom.

While taking community college classes isn't usually as rigorous as taking university courses, they can still provide valuable information that will serve you well throughout your life and career.

Summer Jobs

Summer jobs can be a great way to make money and gain experience. You don't need much, just a passion for whatever it is you're doing!

  • Benefits of working: There are so many things that you can learn from working during the summer. Whether your goal is to become a better employee or just make some extra money, there are several benefits that come with working in the summer. In this article, we'll discuss some of these benefits and how they may apply to your situation.

  • Where to look for jobs: Plenty of places offer part-time jobs and internships during the summer months. Your best bet will be online job sites such as Indeed or Monster as well as local listings like Craigslist or CareerBuilder (for example). Another option would be talking directly with companies at career fairs throughout high school.

Internships

Find an internship that fits your career goals and interests. Research potential employers and think about what types of jobs you want to get into after graduation. Then, reach out to companies that sound interesting to you and ask if they're hiring interns or if they know anyone who is. You can also try contacting the career center at your school, as many have connections with local businesses in need of summer help.

Prepare for the interview process by thinking through questions you might be asked during meetings, including why you want to work there and why they should choose YOU over all the other candidates! Practice answering these questions with friends or family members, who will give honest feedback on how well things are going (and let you know when something isn't working). If possible, take notes while talking so that when it comes time to write down your responses later on paper (if needed), everything is fresh in mind instead of just relying on memory alone--this will make writing easier overall too!

Start planning now to make the most of your summer!

It's not too late to start planning your summer! You'll be glad you did. Get ahead of the game, and you'll be grateful for it when school starts back up again in September. Planning to relax is one thing; actually being able to relax is another matter altogether—but this way, you can make sure that your downtime isn't wasted time spent wishing you had been more productive! With a great summer strategy, you'll have an advantage over your peers, who may not have as much experience using their summers wisely or effectively (or even efficiently). Your summer will become a highlight of your school year rather than just a blip on its way out.