Curtis WestbaySo, why should our students do anything?
They don't have to do anything. Summer affords students the opportunity to address gaps in their activity list and prepare more extensively for standardized testing. If a student feels comfortable with their level of activity and standardized test preparation, it may be wise to give them some space to recharge their batteries before the next school year. This might be, in effect, the most productive use of their time.
Instead of listing the things that a student might do with their summer, I will explain some of the commonest scenarios in which a student should be more active during the summertime.
A student is far from their standardized testing goal, or hasn't begun preparation
For students who are about to start Grade 11 or Grade 12, the summer is a good time to spend some time preparing for the SAT. With regard to the ToEFL, students shouldn't need too much preparation if they are engaging authentically in the school's English immersion policy. The SAT is a different case. On average, soon-to-be G11 students should spend 30-60 minutes a day preparing for the SAT, starting as soon as they complete AP exams in G10.
Students who are about to be seniors should discuss their SAT plan with their counselor. In some cases, when a student is far from their goal score, SAT preparation may need to be the focal point of their summer. In most cases, students just need to find time for daily, but short, review.
A student has a gap in their activity list
Students with a professed interest in an academic subject need to offer some sort of extracurricular evidence of their potential in a similar college major. For example, a student who wants to major in Statistics may be able to gain admission off the strength of math courses and exam scores at most schools, but for the most selective colleges, they should dig deeper. Both to offer greater evidence of college readiness and to distinguish themselves from other generally strong students, an aspiring Statistics major could spend the summer adding to their activity list in some of these ways:
- taking an open online course in Python or R
- making their own data creative data visualizations of an issue they find interesting
- taking a pre-college course, like Moneyball: the Analytics of Sports at Notre Dame
- building a code portfolio for colleges that accept supplemental materials in their applications
Particularly in the case of community service, the summer is a valuable opportunity. During the school year, some students struggle to juggle coursework and community service.
A student struggles with English, or failed a course the prior school year
This is not the time to think more is better. If a student has failed a course, they need to take preparation for the final exam retake seriously, and they shouldn't take on additional work to try to offset that transcript deficiency. If a student is seriously struggling with English, they shouldn't go months without speaking English (in fact, none of our students should do this). Students might need time to do independent work in this case, unless they lack the motivation and organization to do so. If this is the case, summer tutoring may be required.
A student has an unexplored (or underexplored) interest
BASIS offers a lot of coursework, but not everything. Students may be interested in sociology, geology, digital art, or foreign languages— the summer is the time to dig into those subjects. Perhaps a student has taken the AP level of a course and they are intrigued by it— the summer is the time to try a course that is less of a survey and more of a deep dive.
Remember, not everything has to be coursework. Sometimes, a student's independent project is more transformative for their learning than an instructor-driven class. While it's true that formal activities come with a degree of credibility that independent initiatives may lack, a student can offset this by documenting their self-directed endeavors. More on this in a moment.
A student has neglected something they love during the school year
Recently, I asked a student what she would do with her summer if she were totally free to decide. Her answer was very charming— she said she would want to read for pleasure. In the chaos of the school year, there's not always time for the things that students love, and that's a shame. I remember playing basketball for eight hours a day one summer. Granted, I didn't have the same college aspirations that many of my students have, it was nevertheless a summer I remember fondly— because it was fun. Our students work extremely hard during the academic year, and they've earned the reprieve that the summer provides.
It's possible for a student to get back to what they love and to advance their college application priorities at the same time. For the bibliophile of whom I spoke, she could write a journal of her observations and reflections on what she reads. She could make a commitment to read 10 books in 7 weeks, and write a blog about the characters that she finds most compelling. She could do an oil painting with each of the books as an inspiration, create a vlog or podcast, or even just lay the foundation for future activities related to literature or history based on her summer of reading. As we have said before, colleges want passionate students who know what they like. If your student is lucky enough to know what they would want to do with a free summer, that's a good thing.