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5 Summer Activities That Don’t Impress Colleges

Everyone seems to have an opinion about the “right” summer activities for a high school student, especially in the summer before senior year. Let’s clear something up, right off the bat: there is no “right” way to spend your summer, and no clear plan any type of candidate must follow to achieve admissions success. Most people who tell you that there is a single path to success either A) don’t know what they are talking about or B) have a strong profit motive.

So, what summer activities do admissions officers at top colleges want to see? Generally speaking, they want candidates that have productively used their time in the summer by either working or pursuing opportunities to build experiences in their passions. This doesn’t mean your whole summer needs to be jam-packed with summer programs, but you should aim to have at least one major focal point of your summer that lasts at least four weeks. In addition, there should be an indication of productive summer activities you’ve done outside of that.

Here are 5 activities that students should not waste time on during the summer. Please bear in mind that the inclusion of a summer activity on this list does not automatically make that activity a negative mark for all students. Some of these summer activities are totally acceptable—and in some cases encouraged—to do as long as they are done in combination with another significant, unique activity. Think of this list as things you don’t want to be stuck saying in response to an admissions officer who asks you to tell them what you did last summer.

1. Studying for the SAT, ACT, or SAT Subject Tests

Studying for standardized tests is not an acceptable answer to an admissions officer asking “what did you do this summer?” Almost every good student does it and should do so, but that does not mean that it should be your only summer activity. You must have a focal point from your summer to highlight, and one that meaningfully advances your candidacy in some non-numerical fashion.

2. Self-studying for upcoming coursework or AP exams

Some eager beavers like to get a jumpstart on their coursework for the upcoming year. This is a very poor use of time, all things considered. One way that I have seen this done is with students self-studying for AP subjects and taking the exams without having taken the class. While the work ethic and initiative it takes to do so certainly seems impressive on its face, that impressiveness quickly begins to wane when considering the myriad of unique ways to engage in the same subjects.

3. Going to “general studies” summer programs on college campuses

It is a complete myth that high school summer programs at your dream college will give you an admissions edge when applying to that specific school. While doing this is not “bad,” it detracts from time you could be spending on something that is a more specific reflection of your interests. For instance, if you’re an aspiring CS major, you’d be much better served going to a coding camp than you would going to Cornell’s summer sessions. For some students, though, these “general studies” programs on college campuses could be a good introduction to college life and coursework. Don’t, however, fall into the trap of thinking that a more “competitive” program like Yale Global Scholars will somehow have bearing upon your admission to Yale, or any other school for that matter.

4. Service trips

I don’t mean to say that community service is a bad summer activity. What I am saying is that generic service trips tend to be ‘one-off.’ Going to the Dominican Republic to build houses for a week with no continuing involvement or obligation rings hollow on an application. More specific community service that you invest more time in is significantly more valuable both intrinsically and strategically than such “check-the-box” service initiatives.

5. Recreational Summer Camps

Camp is fun. I get it. Plenty of successful admits have returned to their sleep away camps as counselors for a period of time, but you really should move on to other passions by the time you’re 16. Our admissions officers agree that there are much more educational and strategic summer activities that applicants could be doing with their time. Another thing to keep in mind is that you’re going to be competing against many applicants who didn’t have the privilege of going to a sleepaway camp instead of working. If you’re going to do so, you need strong examples of you giving back to the community to balance that out.

Your summer break is a valuable period of time! While the school year is swamped with homework and various extracurriculars, you can dive into one of your passions over the summer. Don’t select generic summer programs - take advantage of your summer activities to participate in meaningful opportunities.