5 Summer Activities for High School Students

School is out for the summer, but there are still so many opportunities to improve yourself and prepare for the future. It is important that you relax and unwind after exams, however, do not let the entire summer pass you by before making plans on what to do next. Here are some activities to do before the next academic year begins. 

Volunteering 

One fulfilling thing you can do this summer is volunteer! There are a lot of organizations that plan and host events to give back to the community. If you can think of at least one cause that you care about, you may already have a ton of options to choose from. These include schools, animal shelters, retirement homes, health care facilities and more. Alternatively, you can opt to participate in more personal and lower scale projects. Donating in a book or clothing drive, participating in a beach clean-up, partaking in a 5K or 10K marathon and volunteering in your own community are simple ways you can give back this summer. Not only is volunteering fulfilling on its own, college admissions value these attributes of possible students and may give you the edge over other applicants. 

Internships

An internship is the position of a student or trainee who works in an organization in order to gain work experience or satisfy requirements for a qualification. Internships may be paid or unpaid and exist in many areas of interest, which can get confusing if you are unsure of what you want to do. Although there is always a possibility of rejection, apply to internships that coincide with your personal and career interests. If you get an internship that correlates directly to your your future career, it will show colleges that you have a genuine interest in that field. An internship is a great opportunity to learn outside of an academic setting while applying what you’ve learned in academic settings to real world scenarios. They also create unique and relevant experiences that relate to your career goals, and once again are very appealing to college admissions if you plan on furthering your education. Even if you aren’t, the work experience gained is advantageous for future employment. 

  

 Job

Like an internship, getting a job is a great way to be productive this summer, and unlike an internship, compensation is a guarantee. Not only will having a job provide work experience that is impressive to both employers and universities, you will be getting paid. This is also a great opportunity to begin networking. You may be in the position to meet more like minded and successful colleagues and mentors, who provide excellent sources of new perspectives and experiences.

 Online Courses

It may not sound like the ideal way to spend your summer, but it will definitely pay off to invest in education outside of regularly scheduled schooling, whether it prepares you for college, implores you to learn a new skill or helps you stay on track in school. Summer is a great time to enroll in a course or two online. There are many sites and universities that offer completely free courses in a wide variety of topics and subjects. 

Here’s a list of sites that offer free online courses: Coursera, Khan Academy, Udemy, Edx, LinkedIn Learning, Open Culture, Harvard Extension Stanford Online and Open Yale Courses.

Hobbies 

Don’t forget to have fun! It’s still summer after all. This is inclusive of sports, clubs, literature, music and other interests. This is the perfect time to join a club or try a new skill like drawing or painting. Making time for your hobbies can also reduce the toll on your mental health by refocusing your mind on more enjoyable things. Hobbies are a great way to increase self confidence, increase your socialization skills and provide the opportunity to learn new skills or develop skills you already have. Perhaps you can even expand your leisurely activities to something of more benefit. For example, if you are interested in photography, you can become a freelance photographer on the side, so not only will you be honing your craft, you’ll be making money while doing it! Universities and employers are also more appreciative of applicants who have interests outside of school/work, especially if these interests align with theirs. 

 While summer is a time for joy and relaxation, it is also the ideal time for growth and exploration. It's important that high school students use this time to do both. Although it is possible to do more than one of these activities, ensure that you don’t overextend yourself. Think about your interests and goals and how you can explore both.