Make the most of your Summer – Edition 3 (Grade 9 & 10 / Freshmen & Sophomores)

We’re BAAACK!! And since Summer is Coming (or rather here) and there is a war brewing in Westeros (shh, won’t say more, SPOILERS!), we have the third and final of our Three Part Series on how to make the most of your summer!! This one is for our 9th and 10th Graders (Freshmen and Sophomores) out there who’ve jumped up and already started thinking about college. Or maybe their parents have started to put them on the path to college.

Think it’s too early to start? Think again! Rather than cramming in preparation on the tail end, think of this as your foundation years. And so, we have some foundational suggestions.

1) PSAT & Pre-ACT

Even as a 9th or 10th grader, if you’re thinking of applying to the United States of America as your intended college destination, you know you have to take the SAT or the ACT. You have all the plans to get yourself ready for the mad rush of Grade 12 but why not start earlier? The PSAT or Preliminary SAT offers the opportunity to get a head start on the preparation for the standardized tests. Moreover, the most competitive summer schools often request the PSAT or the SAT as a part of the evaluation. The test is only offered in October each year.

The Pre-ACT is new, in fact, it only was announced in 2016. Its function is similar to the PSAT and like the ACT is an alternative to the SAT, the Pre-ACT is an alternative to the PSAT. It’s yet to come to India though. Read more about it on the ACT website.

Use this summer to read up and get ready. Remember to register in time since the October PSAT is after Half-Yearly exams for most of you and as discussed before, grades are very important so you should study ahead to not let it mess up your school grades.

2) Read!

List the titles of the books you read for pleasure that you enjoyed most in the past year. – Columbia University

Whether its Essay Topics like the one above, the Reading Comprehension sections in the SAT and the ACT or the fact that when you write your college essays you need to know how to express yourself, reading is something not enough students are doing. Video games and SnapChat may occupy your life right now, but use this summer to get into a reading habit. And I don’t want you to read the boring Classics uncles and aunts want to shove down your throat (though as someone who read them, they are pretty good), start small. To inculcate a reading habit 1) start with short stories rather than long, overwhelming books (Jeffery Archer’s Quiver Full of Arrows is great!) 2) pick up a topic you like! Whether it’s Federer’s memoirs or Sci-Fi like Percy Jackson, 3) make it a habit. Whether it’s reading one article from Time Magazine a day, or finishing one book a month, by creating deadlines and regularity you are more likely to keep up.

3) Online Courses

When you say Engineering, is that something you truly understand? No? Why not learn more!

Whether its Philosophy and Art History or Industrial Engineering, the exposure that students get through the somewhat rigid school curriculum is limited. So to explore your interests and pick up skills (HTML anyone?) look at online courses. Thus, online courses are extremely valuable because they allow you to show an array of interests and explore your major in greater detail. Check out Coursera, MOOC List, eDX for a few! Moreover, colleges understand the value too and have been asking you about them. Brown had an essay in 2015 that said – “Please list the courses, including those you may have taken outside your secondary school, that relate to your chosen field.”

Pro Tip: Look for certified courses so that you are able to share them with colleges. You can also refer to these courses in Why Major type essays.

4) Workshops

Speaking of expanding your interests, it’s great to read online and watch YouTube videos but how about doing something? National School of Drama offers classes over the summer and several institutes allow you to explore interests ranging from music and the arts to Robotics and Coding. Math workshops through Kumon might be something you’re interested in as well. Dance with Shimak Davar and DanceWorx or Entrepreneurship through TYE! The opportunities are endless. Each one of these activities will add to your profile and activities.

5) Community Service

We are often asked, “How many hours of community service is enough?” It’s crucial to understand that community service is not about the quantity of hours spent, but rather the quality of those hours you’ve devoted. Your school may require service, but others may not. So try to find service opportunities you like. What do I mean by that? Teach after school if you enjoy teaching, but if your major interest is reading, perhaps you want to be involved in an NGO that builds libraries. Or if you like animals, volunteer with animals. As a sports person, you can also look at an opportunity to work in the area of sports for underprivileged students. By first figuring out what you’re passionate about, whether it’s filmmaking or something else, you can then begin to form an idea of how you can use that to give back to your local community. Admissions officers want well-rounded applicants who take their studies seriously, are engaged in causes they are passionate about.