Last Updated on October 1, 2026
Quick answer: The best summer activities for high school students are selective programs, personal mini projects, independent projects, internships or jobs, and creative outlets like blogging. Admissions officers look for initiative, depth, and concrete results, especially in the last two years of high school, so choose activities that grow from your genuine interests.
5 Summer Activities for High School Students That Boost Your Resumé
When you’re thinking about what to do this summer, keep in mind that some summer activities for high school students carry more weight than others. Especially in the last two years of high school – admissions officers will want to see more unique, independent, and impressive activities. Consequently, I can’t tell you exactly what to do or the activity wouldn’t be unique! But I can give you an idea of where to start.
If you’re wondering what to do this summer, here are categories of activities that will help you understand the caliber of what competitive candidates are doing nowadays.
1. Highly Selective Summer Programs:
We’ve talked before about how to evaluate high school summer programs, and our list of summer programs that count is a good place to start. However, there are a number of more competitive summer programs that are on admissions officers’ radars.
The application process for top programs tends to be involved and the vetting process more thorough, which is why getting admitted is an accomplishment on its own. Examples of such programs include the following:
- LaunchX (business and entrepreneurship)
- YoungArts (visual, literary, performing and design arts)
- Research Science Institute (scientific research)
- Young Sustainable Impact Program (sustainability and entrepreneurship).
These programs have gained the respect of admissions officers because, like the rest of the items on the list, they require the students to develop their own unique projects and take ownership of their learning. If you are weighing summer activities for high school students, competitive summer programs could help boost your resumé.
2. Personal Mini Projects:
We are all complex human beings with diverse interests. For younger students, starting with several small, low-stakes projects can help you explore and deepen your different interests. By the end of the summer though, you should pick 1-2 to pursue more substantially into an Independent Project (next on the list). For older students, mini projects can complement other established projects.
What exactly is a personal mini project? For example, I knew of a student who had a pretty significant following on social media due to her artwork, but she was looking for ways to engage more meaningfully with the online community. Her mini project was learning about marketing techniques, and how to interact with her followers to incite conversations about issues she cared about. I knew a student who wrote a screenplay to pursue his interest in film. Use mini projects as a way to explore, discover what interests you, and show initiative.
3. Independent Projects:
This will depend on your particular interests, motivation, and time management skills, but if you stick to a big project, this type of activity is one of the most impressive to admissions officers. Our guide on how to do a passion project for college applications walks through the process step by step.
Maybe you’ve been inspired by an issue affecting your community, such as food access or environmental health. Do research on the topic, reach out to community members, and put together a series of talks for educational outreach in your school or neighborhood.
Or maybe you’ve been volunteering at the pet shelter during the school year. When you have more free time in the summer, and you can apply your computer science skills to create website and run a social media fundraising campaign for the organization.
Or maybe you write poetry in your spare time. In the summer, use the time to keep writing! Work to publish a poetry series to share with the world.
Take advantage of your summer to dive into one of your interests and actually do something. Have something concrete to show for your efforts. Be observant, identify a need, and work on a solution.
4. Internships or Jobs:
There is no substitute to experiential knowledge from internships, but these opportunities rarely fall on your lap. So, start looking early, and use these tips on how to secure an internship as a high school student. Ask your immediate network if they know of opportunities: your parents’ friends, your teachers, your school counselor, or even bulletin boards at your local community college. If you’re already volunteering somewhere for a few hours during the school year, have a talk with your supervisors to see if and how you could increase your responsibilities with them.
Get a paid job! [1] Admissions officers appreciate the responsibility that having a job entails. Or hire yourself! Maybe you design your own jewelry or make your own art prints. Create an Etsy shop to sell your works online. If you’re questioning what to do this summer, gaining work experience is almost always seen as valuable to admissions officers.
5. Blogging:
Regardless of your interests, a blog can be helpful in creating an online presence, polishing your writing skills, and exploring your interest. Pursuits like this matter: MIT Admissions notes that its students find fulfillment in many different activities outside of their academic pursuits. [2] The beauty of a blog is that it can be applied to any interest. Say you’re interested in chemistry. Set up Google Alerts to your email about the latest chemistry news and write blog posts about them. Design your own experiments and share how-to’s with your readers. Or maybe you start your own version of Humans of New York and collect stories from strangers to share on your blog. Wondering how to become a blogger? Start by creating content on a topic that you truly love.
Lots of things should be happening in the summer! Plan opportunities that will allow for personal growth and self-reflection so that you can figure out what you love and dive deeper. Make sure to track your activities and accomplishments as they happen!
How to Choose Summer Activities for High School Students
With so many options, the hardest part is often deciding where to focus. Start with what you already care about. Look at the classes you enjoy most, the topics you read about in your spare time, and the problems in your community you would like to help solve. The best summer activities grow out of those interests rather than out of a guess about what colleges want to see.
Next, think about your year in school. Rising sophomores can use the summer to explore several interests through short, low-stakes projects. Rising juniors and seniors should aim for depth: a longer project, a research experience, a job with growing responsibility, or a program that builds on work you have already started.
As you weigh your options, ask yourself a few questions:
- Will this activity let me take ownership of something, rather than simply attend?
- Will I have something concrete to show at the end, such as a finished product, a presentation, or measurable results?
- Does it connect to the interests that appear elsewhere in my application?
- Can I continue it into the school year?
Community service can fit into any of these categories when you go beyond logging hours. Choose one organization, learn what it needs most, and take on a role that grows over time, whether that means training new volunteers, organizing a drive, or building a tool the group can keep using after you leave. Our guide to meaningful volunteer work for high school students can help you find the right fit.
You do not need to fill every week. A focused summer built around one or two meaningful commitments, with time left for rest and reflection, tells admissions officers more about you than a crowded calendar of unrelated activities.
How to Present Your Summer on College Applications
Once the summer ends, you will want to describe what you did clearly and concisely. The Common App activities section lets you list up to 10 activities, including jobs, internships, volunteer work, and family responsibilities, with 150 characters to describe each one. [1] That space goes quickly, so keep notes throughout the summer on your role, the hours you spent, and the results you achieved.
Lead each description with action verbs and specific outcomes. Instead of writing that you volunteered at an animal shelter, explain that you built a website and ran an online campaign that brought in new volunteers. For more ideas, see our guide to writing the Common App activities section. If your summer project became a defining part of your story, you can also develop it further in your personal statement or a supplemental essay. Your recommenders can also speak to your summer work if you share a short summary of what you accomplished and what you learned along the way.
Plan a Summer That Supports Your College Applications
Our Former Admissions Officers can help you choose high-impact activities that build your resumé and support your student’s goals.
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