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NEW SURVEY REVEALS SUMMER EXPERIENCES ADD VALUE TO COLLEGE APPLICANTS

Results guide high school students toward meaningful summer options

 A recent survey of admissions counselors at 35 of the country’s most prestigious universities offers high school students tips on how to plan a productive summer experience that will help prepare them for college.  Jill Tipograph, founder and director of the only independent summer consultancy Everything Summer®, spoke with admissions teams from top-tier universities such as Colby College, Johns Hopkins University, University of Miami, University of Michigan, Rice University and Vassar College to get insider information on which summer activities offer students the greatest value, and what to avoid when choosing a program.

Tipograph, a mother of two children (and currently entrenched in the college planning process), has researched more than 2,000 summer programs in her 11 years as a planner and consultant.  By assessing a teen’s goals, personality, passions and background, Tipograph strategically identifies worthwhile summer experiences for students.  “The summer has always been a great opportunity for high school students to gain more self-direction and challenge themselves,” Tipograph explains.  “Today, students’ summers are an integral part of the college admissions process, since they are viewed as a reflection of their interests, aptitudes and abilities.”

Based on feedback received from admissions counselors, here are several rules to remember when designing a teen’s summer program:

• Push Yourself: Summer is the right time for many students to test themselves in areas of creativity, volunteerism, academics and potential majors or careers.  Most admissions officers feel students need to ‘go outside their comfort zone.’ Use the summer to experiment, see what you are capable of, and what you can accomplish, especially at the leadership level.  According to Feodies Shipp III, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, University of Michigan, “Students that take part in few activities but at a leadership level tend to get more consideration than students that have a plethora of activities with no leadership."
   
• Pursue Genuine Interests:  Admissions counselors stress the importance of using summertime wisely and productively, but also emphasize pursuing programs in which a student is truly interested.  They seek depth, not ‘packaged students.’ Laura Villafranca, Assistant Director of Admissions, Rice University, counsels, “Follow your interests.  Don’t participate in a summer activity or program to try to impress an admissions committee.”
   
• Wisely Communicate Your Summer Experience: Nearly all of the counselors surveyed agree on one thing: most high school students underestimate how important it is to let the admissions teams know why they chose a summer program—and what they gained from it.  John W. Birney Jr., Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Johns Hopkins University, advises, “Students need to learn to articulate the impact of the experience; if writing this is difficult, pick up the phone or tell us in person.”

 For more information on the survey including reprinting rights, or to schedule an interview with Jill Tipograph, please call 212-582-5300 or email jill@everythingsummer.com.   

About Everything Summer ®