The days get longer and hotter in summer months, but ambitious high school students seeking STEM degrees will use these extra hours to challenge themselves with projects and extracurriculars geared towards their interests.
Quantity or Quality?
For freshman high school students, and even some middle school students, summer activities are opportunities for intellectual exploration. These students might have a general interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) but lack a clear trajectory and should work towards discovering their different interests outside the classroom setting by engaging in a variety of activities. Discover the things that interest you in STEM as well as the subjects that don’t. This can also be a chance to identify your strengths and weaknesses. At this early stage, students should feel encouraged to have a range of different experiences in order to find what suits them. (Though not included in this list, elementary and junior high students interested in STEM should consider joining a summer STEM camp.)
It’s also worth noting that with a busy school year, packed with homework, exams, SAT prep and cram schooling, summer is an ideal time when students can devote themselves more intensively to a field or subject. This is particularly important in the summer breaks after sophomore and junior years of high school. It is around these grades when college admissions committees will want to see more impactful participation in extracurricular activities. A long break from school gives students ample opportunity to really engage in a meaningful activity, like learning a new programming language or doing independent research.
As mentioned in our previous blog on STEM majors, gaining admittance to these types of degrees can be more competitive than other non-STEM degrees. For STEM majors, it takes more than just good grades and impressive test scores to stand out; a range of extracurricular activities throughout the past few years are needed to paint a picture of a well-rounded applicant.
In all types of majors, but especially STEM degrees, the right summer activities can tell a more impactful story about a student, show their commitment to a field of study and help them stand out from the thousands of other straight “A” applicants.
Whether you’re an incoming freshman who is interested in learning more about chemistry, a sophomore trying to go beyond the after-school robotics club, or a junior who’s trying to carve their niche in computer science, these summer activities can make a difference and help tip an application into the admit pile.
Join a science competition or fair
Joining a science competition can be an effective way to stay motivated through the summer by focusing on a single particular challenge. They’re also a low-stakes opportunity to branch out and explore new interests. Nevertheless, earning a gold medal surely makes a positive impact on your college application as well.
Science competitions are events where students compete in a number of subjects through tests and projects, ranging from smaller city-wide events to international competitions and fairs with corporate sponsorship. Categories for these competitions run the gamut of STEM field topics. For example, the Science Olympiad features summer events in robotics and climate science, but also includes ornithology and disease detection competitions. For some competitions, events take place online and are open to international student submissions.
Getting involved with a local science fair, where a final project is presented, is also a great way to work on research and presentation skills. Local science fairs can also be a pathway towards larger international events. Students that win prizes at the Taiwan International Science Fair (TISF) go on to represent their country at numerous science fairs around the world, like the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s largest international pre-college science competition.
Participate in a specialized university summer program
For students who can access them, specialized summer programs held on university campuses can also be a productive way to gain new skills, challenge their intellectual abilities, and get familiar with life on campus. These are more challenging programs similar to AP and Honors courses and are of the same quality of instruction and expectation of work as a normal course in the fall or spring semester.
Carnegie Mellon University’s Pre-College Summer Session provides high school students with the unique opportunity to take summer courses for credit, and includes courses like Modern Biology, Computing and Principles of Macroeconomics. Though this program is restricted to students who can attend class in person, you may live near a university, community college or learning extensions that offer similar pre-college programs in the summer.
Take an online class
Sites like edX and Coursera offer a plethora free college courses that are recorded or streamed from universities. With tons of subjects from robotics, programming, blockchain to macroeconomics, you get to participate in real-time or watch past lectures from professors at places like Stanford and Harvard. Some courses offer a certificate on completion for an extra fee. For example, MIT offers an Introductory Computational Thinking Using Python course “aimed at people who want to get started and test the waters with programming but don’t know where to start.” Like competitions, these are excellent, low-stakes options to test the water and are open to anyone around the world with an internet connection.
Get involved with research
Producing a research thesis as a high school student can be very impressive to colleges. Turn your interests and talents into a summer-long guided research project and produce a research paper by working with a professor, graduate student or professional in your field of interest. This may involve reaching out to university departments or cold calling to find someone willing to serve as your thesis mentor. Organizations like this one also offer weeks-long research programs to students around the world, with PhD candidates at leading universities serving as research mentors in a number of fields like data science and physics.
Volunteer in your community
While demanding and intellectual projects and competitions are one way to boost college applications, finding a meaningful community service project can also speak volumes about an applicant’s character and commitment. Here, quality outranks quantity. Colleges would rather see continuity and commitment to a community service activity instead of several one-offs. Furthermore, it’s always more impressive if you can leverage your skills and knowledge in your volunteer service. Instead of simply volunteering at an animal shelter, a capable student could help manage their social media account or even revamp their website. This shows that the student is more than just a “warm body” in a chair and able to make a meaningful impact with their unique skill sets.
Find an internship
An internship is a structured opportunity to work (usually unpaid) at a company, lab, or non-profit organization for a set amount of time. These can be very competitive for high school students, but opportunities do exist. Don’t be afraid to reach out, email or cold call an organization you are excited about. Oftentimes, organizations already have an internship program in place. If not, you might propose a structure yourself, as many enterprises welcome motivated students interested in their operations. Your teachers might also be able to make introductions or provide reference letters in these situations. Furthermore, an internship is also an opportunity to obtain a letter of reference from a supervisor, something that will be important come application season.