Hire
a Tutor
Tutors are typically thought of as a reactive
measure to help a struggling student improve their grades. Perhaps parents should
consider being proactive by hiring a personal tutor. This might not be the
first idea that comes to mind when exploring summer opportunities, but perhaps
it should. A tutor can teach a student a course over the summer. This will
allow the student the opportunity to learn new material in a non-stressful environment. When the school year begins and the material is taught,
the subject matter will be an in depth review rather than a new learning
experience. This will allow the student to earn higher grades and improve their
overall Grade Point Average; a major factor in the college admission
process.
What subjects should the parent choose? They can opt
for a course in which a student tends to earn lesser marks or they can decide
on a key subject in order to prepare for a rigorous course. Either way, a
parent cannot go wrong stimulating a mind that has less distractions over the
summer.
Volunteer/Community
Service
Many colleges require students to demonstrate
involvement in a volunteer activity on their application. Schools are especially
attracted to students who volunteer outside of their high school. Students
should choose activity they enjoy or are passionate about. Perhaps this could
be something they are interested in pursuing after college. Potential ideas
could be volunteering at the local zoo if are thinking of a career as a veterinarian.
Perhaps they are interested in the Peace
Corps or AmeriCorps once they
graduate college. Why not begin volunteering with Habitat for Humanity or find a local church group in which to take
a mission trip? Better yet, why not take a unique family vacation and have
everyone enjoy the benefits of volunteering!
Colleges are fond of students who volunteer and many
schools pride themselves on their volunteerism. Take Knox College in Galesburg,
Illinois for examples. They offer a Peace
Corp Preparatory Program (the only one in the nation) and have their own
version of KnoxCorps to provide in
interactive civic engagement within their community. Schools such as Knox
College would be intrigued by a student
who has vast volunteering experiences listed on their high school resume. In
fact, Knox College is known as one of the most generous colleges when it comes
to financial assistance.
Summer
Camps
If your student is participating in a high school
sport, most likely there will be a summer camp or even a league. If they would
like to continue playing at the next level, they should attend all optional
camps and leagues. Summer athletic programs are an opportune time for a student-athlete
to take initiative and earn the respect of the other players. This might even
impress the coaches and earn themselves the position of captain on the varsity
team. In addition, summer athletic camps will help raise their skill level and
potentially help them earn college scholarships.
The same is true for the Fine Arts. If the student
is involved in theatre, perhaps the high school has summer workshops for their
program. If not, plenty of colleges offer these types of opportunities.
Attending one of these workshops helps elevate their performance, or exposes
them to additional roles in the program (set, lighting, etc...) making them
more versatile and attractive to a competitive fine arts college.
Get
a Job
Teenagers claim it is difficult to find a job these
days, especially since many of their positions are taken by overqualified
adults. But this does not mean there are not opportunities available for
students. Colleges like to see students take the initiative to find a job, be
able to take directions and show responsibility. If a student is very involved
in school and will participate in a sport or fine art camps, colleges will not
frown upon the fact that a student does not hold a job. Colleges would like to
see some sort of involvement and not Captain
of the Couch Potato Club on their high school resume.
Think outside the box for a job, especially
involving something they enjoy. Many park districts are seeking camp counselors
or even lifeguards. It is a seasonable job, but perhaps once they are hired and
demonstrate responsibility, they will be asked back the following year. Perhaps
a student-athlete can be a baseball/softball umpire. These jobs are great for
high school students as they pay more than minimum wage (most times being paid
by the game, which lasts 2 hours) and teaches students how to deal with
confrontation and adversity.
Perhaps a student could caddy at a local country
club. This is an excellent way of networking with adults. Similar to umpiring,
the pay is higher than minimum wage and teaches skills about how to get along
with demanding adults, while hustling for an extra tip. In addition, teenagers might
interact with influential members in the community. This can never hurt when
they are looking for a college internship or a post college graduation job. Lastly,
being a caddy can lead to the Evans Scholarship. What is this? It is a full tuition
and housing college scholarship for men and women. Most recipients attend one
of 14 colleges where the Evans Scholars Foundation operates a scholarship house.
Not a bad job where a high school student can potentially earn good money in
the summer, have college paid for AND network for their post college careers.
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