If you haven’t heard it yet, your student is most likely going to say those hated words, “I’m bored. What can I do?” If you need a laugh, check out this short Instagram post from my favorite “mom” comedienne, Heather Land: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cte8Yd7LDjH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Who knew we were all of those things she mentioned in her short video?
If your teen is looking for something to do over the summer, put them to work on college-related tasks to fight summer boredom. It’s never too early to start.
Here are five activities for the college bound to fight summer boredom:
1. Search for scholarships
Holiday breaks are the perfect time to focus on scholarship searches. Set aside a few hours daily to research and hunt for them. You can use search engines like Google or delve even deeper by registering on one of the many scholarship websites like FastWeb. The benefit of registering is you will receive email reminders when a scholarship you qualify for becomes available; giving you a head start on the application process.
2. Do some community service—volunteer
Summer is a great time to beef up your extracurricular resume and get involved in your community. There are many opportunities to help during the summer. And if you have an entrepreneurial mind, start your own business: mowing lawns, washing cars, doing computer repair, cleaning garages and more!
3. Make an information-gathering college visit
Winter break is a good time for college-bound teens to visit a college—any college. You can walk around campus and get a feel for what college life will be like. Since students will also be on summer break, this visit should be for information gathering only. If you’re a senior, make a final college visit to the schools you will be applying to. It will help you decide when the offers of admission arrive.
4. Spend (productive) time on social media
The key word here is “productive”. While you’re on Twitter and Facebook, do some scholarship searches and make some college contacts. Research college Facebook pages and Twitter accounts and while you’re at it sign up on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is now focusing on adding student profiles and it’s a great place to network and meet professionals affiliated with the colleges you are interested in attending.
5. Work on the college essay
The college essay is the most important component of the college application. It’s never too early to start working on the college essay. If you’re a senior, finish up your final draft. Have it proofread and read before you submit it to the colleges. If you’re not a senior, use the break time to brainstorm ideas.
One admissions officer says, “writing a good application essay is hard. Many students write essays that are too cliché or too shallow; others write essays that are impersonal and uninformative; some are even unfortunate enough to write essays that cause their own rejection. This isn’t surprising. The application essay is drastically different from the typical high school assignment—deeply personal, rather than merely informative.”