Summer Activities for Students

 

 

Summertime is a good time for students to catch up on things they are too busy to do during the school year, things to put them ahead when they go back to school and make the school year a lot less hectic. Here are a few ideas you can suggest:

Visit college campuses - Take a family vacation near one of your college choices, or tour three or four campuses as your vacation. Visit while classes are in session so you get a feel for the college. Realize, however, that more students are on campus during the fall and spring.

Take or retake the ACT - If you just finished your junior year, June is a good time to take the ACT. The test results will be back to you in six weeks, giving you time to retake in the fall if you're not happy with your scores.

Take a summer course or work with a tutor - If your test scores were low in a certain subject, summer is a good time to take a course or work with a tutor. This can help you improve your scores if you retake the test in the fall.

Explore careers - Find a part-time job that exposes you to a career that interests you. Or learn through job shadowing, volunteering and researching.

Search for college - If you haven't started looking at colleges, start now. It's never too soon to find out about the differences in academics, cost, extracurricular activities and environment. Use the college search at www.actstudent.org to find more than 3,000 four-year, two-year and professional/technical schools.

Find out more about financial aid - Visit www.studentaid.ed.gov and www.actstudent.org to learn more about financial aid. Even though you can't submit a financial aid form (FAFSA) until January of your senior year, it's good to see what information you will need. Check with colleges to see if they require supplementary financial aid information.

Get organized - Plan ahead for what you have to do in the fall and spring of the next school year. Put together a system to organize all your forms for admissions, scholarships, financial aid, recommendations and essays/requirements. Plan to attend college fairs or college admissions visits.