Key Takeaways
- Identify gaps in your application by focusing on the qualities colleges value, not just the number of activities you have.
- Prioritize initiative over prestige by creating opportunities instead of waiting for them.
- Build depth through meaningful projects that leave behind tangible evidence of your growth and impact.
School is out, summer is in full swing, but you still haven’t secured something to do. You didn’t get into that program, didn’t get the internship, and didn’t land the job at your local fast-food chain.
If you have high academic expectations, this can feel very discouraging, especially if all your peers seem booked and busy with internships, programs, projects, etc. However, this isn’t the end; summer goes by quickly, but there is still time to create something meaningful out of these couple of months of free time before the upcoming school year.
If you’re stressed this summer, here’s what to do:
Identify the Missing Piece
Although you sense that your college application is missing a certain piece, remember that colleges aren’t counting clubs. Colleges are looking for evidence of qualities like intellectual curiosity, leadership, service, and commitment.
Before you can decide what to do this summer, you first need to understand what your current activities are already demonstrating. Then, identify any gaps in your application.
Here’s one way to help identify your gaps.
Take a piece of paper and create 5 columns with these titles:
- Intellectual curiosity
- Service to others / Community impact
- Leadership or initiative
- Collaboration
- Consistent engagement
These are 5 examples of college admission “nutrients” that schools are looking for.
Now, ask yourself:
- Which column has the fewest activities?
- Which activities appear in multiple columns?
- Are you involved in things, or are you making things happen?
Identifying these patterns can help you choose activities that strengthen weaker areas rather than adding more of the same.
Prioritize Initiative Over Passive Prestige
Even though it’s too late to get into a prestigious summer program or internship this summer, don’t be complacent. Take this opportunity to show your own initiative.
Colleges value:
Initiative > Passively participating in something prestigious
Initiative demonstrates qualities that are difficult to teach: curiosity, resourcefulness, independence, and persistence. While prestigious programs can certainly provide valuable experiences, admissions officers are often just as interested in what students choose to do when no one gives them a structured opportunity.
Colleges care less about whether someone chose you and more about what you chose to do.
But now that you know this, how do you turn this paradigm shift into action?
Time to Get Scrappy
Here are a few common gaps that students discover, along with some “scrappy solutions” to start addressing them this summer.
Example 1: The Leadership Gap
You’re a student who has gained some leadership roles in school clubs or other extracurricular activities. However, you still have never started anything, led anything, or organized anything to show real-world leadership metrics.
This is a very open-ended gap, so here are a few action items to help you fill it.
Scrappy Solutions:
- Plan something achievable, such as organizing a school supply drive, creating a tutoring initiative, or running a community event.
- Track real metrics, such as funds raised, participants reached, or volunteer hours contributed.
- Record the impact you made, the challenges you encountered, and the skills you developed along the way.
Example 2: The Academic Curiosity Gap
You’re a student who has a strong GPA and has taken rigorous courses. However, your academics don’t expand beyond school.
Here are some ways you can turn your academic curiosity into guided, meaningful action this summer.
Scrappy Solutions:
- Deepen your understanding of a topic that genuinely interests you through books, articles, academic journals, or online courses.
- Synthesize what you learn through an independent project, such as a blog post, article, research paper, podcast, or presentation.
- Share your knowledge by presenting your findings or creating educational content for your school or local community.
Example 3: The Major Exploration Gap
You’re a student interested in a specific field of study, and your school extracurriculars align with it. However, you aren’t confident that you show it enough or that you’ve had enough real-world exposure.
If you don’t have a formal internship or job shadowing opportunity this summer, here are some things you can do instead.
Scrappy Solutions:
- Conduct informational interviews with local professionals to learn about different career paths, day-to-day responsibilities, and industry trends.
- Volunteer in a setting related to your field of interest to gain firsthand exposure and better understand the work being done.
- Assist a community organization connected to your interests to develop relevant skills while contributing to a meaningful cause.
Remember, Depth Over Breadth
Do not respond to gaps in your application by just doing more random things.
Remember this: selective universities always look for depth, dedication, and impact, which is known as a “spike”.
(Learn more about “spikes” here)
There are ways to fill gaps by deepening your existing interests/activities. Instead of adding another activity to your application, ask how you can deepen an existing interest. Admissions officers often look for students who have developed expertise, impact, or sustained involvement in a particular area over time.
This summer, dedicate time to nurturing the interests and activities you already have going.
The Proof Rule
A good scrappy summer project should leave something meaningful behind.
That proof could be people served, interviews completed, articles written, lessons taught, money raised, resources created, meetings organized, or skills learned. Whatever form it takes, there should be something tangible that demonstrates your effort, growth, and initiative.
Many students focus on looking productive rather than producing something meaningful. The strongest scrappy summer experiences leave behind evidence.
Before starting any project, ask yourself:
When summer ends, what will I be able to point to and say, “I built that, organized that, researched that, or improved that”?
Starting with the end in mind can help transform a few months of free time into a project, experience, or impact that remains meaningful even after college application season is over.
Your Personal Narrative is Your Guide
At the end of the day, your goal should not be to make your college application check off all the boxes.
The way colleges will remember you is by your personal narrative. This is the theme that ties all of your activities together to demonstrate who you are.
Think holistically about the story your application tells. If an admissions officer read your activities list without seeing your essays, what would they conclude about your interests and values? Strong applications often have a clear theme connecting different experiences.
Start Planning Ahead
If you still feel like you missed the mark on obtaining summer opportunities, take this as a lesson.
Take the time to plan ahead this summer:
- Create an application tracker to research programs, note requirements, and track application due dates.
- Mark “checkpoint” months on your calendar to research opportunities, request recommendation letters, and begin applications before deadlines approach.
- Build a list of organizations, companies, professors, or community leaders you may want to contact in the future.
- Set reminders to revisit your goals every few months and adjust your plans as new opportunities arise.
Doing the planning now will help you make the most out of summer breaks to come.
Final Thoughts
Not every meaningful summer experience begins with an acceptance letter. Sometimes, the most impactful projects start with a student identifying a gap, taking initiative, and creating an opportunity from scratch. If your summer hasn’t gone according to plan, don’t spend the next two months wishing things had been different. Use the time you have now to get scrappy, take ownership of your growth, and build something worth talking about.
Atlas Education supports students through every step of the college application process – from building school lists and extracurriculars to writing essays, securing recommendations, and preparing for interviews.
