☀️How to Summer Smarter! -The Art of a Balanced Summer: Challenging Without Overloading📝
Hello everyone,
It's natural for parents and guardians to want their children to make the most of their summer, seizing opportunities for growth and demonstrating initiative to colleges. However, as an admissions consultant, I frequently see a common pitfall: the "overloaded" summer schedule. While ambition is commendable, there's a fine line between a productive summer and one that leads to burnout or, worse, looks disingenuous on an application.
From an admissions perspective, we're looking for genuine engagement and sustained interest, not just a long list of fleeting activities. Here's how parents can help their students navigate this balance and avoid burnout while still showcasing commitment:
The Pitfalls of an Overloaded Summer & How to Avoid Burnout
- You Don't Have to Fill Every Day: There's a misconception that every waking moment of summer needs to be structured enrichment. This isn't true and often leads to stress rather than meaningful learning. Allow for downtime, reflection, and personal pursuits.
- Avoid Long Periods of No Involvement: While not every day needs to be structured, extended periods of complete disengagement from learning or productive activities can also be a missed opportunity. Find a healthy middle ground.
- Balance is Key: Encourage a mix of activities. This could include:
- Community service: Giving back shows empathy and character.
- Sports or physical activity: Promotes well-being and teamwork.
- One focused academic course or project: Allows for deep dive into an interest.
- Show That Downtime Can Be Learning Time: Learning doesn't just happen in formal settings. Encourage activities that blend social engagement with intellectual curiosity, like joining a book club (even a virtual book club) to stay engaged with friends while exploring new ideas.
Red Flags: When "Checking Boxes" Becomes Obvious
Admissions committees are quite adept at spotting activities undertaken merely for the sake of "checking a box" rather than genuine interest or growth.
- Vague Activity Descriptions: If a student's activity descriptions on their application are shallow or generic, it can suggest a lack of deep involvement or understanding of the experience.
- Too Many Back-to-Back Formal Programs: A schedule packed with a different formal program every week or two often indicates a student is being shuffled from one impressive-sounding activity to another without truly immersing themselves. This can raise questions about consistency and genuine commitment.
- Lack of Depth in Conversations: During interviews or in essays, if a student struggles to talk deeply, passionately, or reflectively about their summer experiences, it's a significant red flag. This suggests they didn't truly connect with or learn from the activity.
- Prioritizing Quantity Over Quality: We prefer to see sustained commitment to one or two significant activities rather than a scattered collection of short-term engagements. For example, being a camp counselor year over year demonstrates immense commitment, leadership, and personal growth far more than attending a different one-week program each summer.
Ultimately, a truly impressive summer schedule is one that reflects a student's genuine interests, allows for personal growth and well-being, and showcases sustained commitment rather than a frantic dash to fill every minute with "impressive" bullet points.
What are your strategies for creating a balanced and meaningful summer for your student?
Share your insights or questions below!