Summer Break: Filling Your Cup and Finding Purpose
We all know the telltale signs of summer approaching in the US: longer, warmer days; high schoolers studying for final exams; and a packed calendar full of end-of-year performances, graduations, cookouts, awards ceremonies, and athletic events. I always look forward to the celebratory energy this season brings as the school year comes to a close and I dig out our swimsuits in anticipation of beach vacations on the horizon.
While I am not alone in looking forward to much-needed vacation time over the summer months, the planner in me—and perhaps in you, too—is also thinking about the moments when we don’t have something planned (yet!) and what personal projects I’m hoping to spend time on during the slower “in-between” moments of each day. My inner monologue sounds something like: When could be a good time to pop over to see that new art exhibit? What books do I want to check out of the library to read on the plane? I’d love to dust off my watercolors to paint what’s growing in the garden.
It’s wise for our college-bound students to reflect in similar ways heading into the summer months. From a college admissions perspective, summer can be a critical time filled with important opportunities for personal, academic, and extracurricular exploration—and as such, one question on the minds of admission officers as they’re reviewing applications is, “how did this student spend their school breaks?” (Some universities even have a supplementary essay question asking students to describe how they spent their past few summers.)
Now that it’s June, rising 10th, 11th, and 12th-graders with college aspirations likely have at least one of the following resume-building experiences planned for summer that supports their developing application narrative and supracurricular interests:
Paid summer job
Volunteering for a local non-profit, children’s camp, library, or hospital
Pre-college course or selective academic camp
Completion of a research project with a local professor or through in-person or virtual research program (rising 11-12th graders)
Internship in a career field of interest (rising 11-12th graders)
(Importantly, rising 11th and 12th graders are also studying for the SAT/ACT and traveling to visit colleges in person. Rising 12th graders are writing college essays, too.)
With those big experiences written in ink, below are some ways in which those same students may be spending their smaller “in-between” moments. These enriching activities may seem minor on the outside, but don’t be fooled—the ripple effects these opportunities can have is the whole reason why I’m cluing you in on them now: they help establish positive habits, broaden worldviews, hone important life skills, advance academic and extracurricular goals, and lead to meaningful community contributions. Here are some real-life examples and suggestions:
Do a few minutes of language-learning on Duolingo every day
Complete summer reading assignments and get ahead on challenging material for next semester
Help your family with household responsibilities on a regular basis, such as walking your dog, caring for a younger sibling, or using your new driver’s license to run errands
Read for fun! Here is LogicPrep’s Summer Reading List for 2025 if inspiration is needed. (Audio books and podcasts are cool, too.)
Put the finishing touches on a social project that will be kicking off next semester and/or the expansion of an existing initiative
Teach yourself a new song on your instrument of choice
Attend a local speaking event, art exhibition, play, and/or cultural fair
Research colleges from the comfort of home: review the Fiske Guide, attend virtual information sessions, and watch virtual tours
Learn to cook a new recipe for your family
Work on an engineering project, such as building a mini wind turbine or using Arduino to code a smart technology device
Help an elderly neighbor with a small task
Keep a plant (any plant!) alive
Develop new pieces for your fine arts/music/theater/writing portfolio and consider submitting them in an arts award competition
Learn how to change a tire
Update your resume with accomplishments from last semester and those bigger, resume-worthy summer plans.
Practice mindfulness, learn to meditate, and integrate daily positive self care - good sleep, healthy eating, and exercise - into your routine
Fortunately, many of these opportunities simply require a pinch of curiosity and a splash of spontaneity—and, of course, the genuine motivation to see the project or goal through to its completion. For the high schoolers out there, do spend a few moments making note of the big and small ways you’re spending your summer so you can intentionally weave those details into your future essays and applications.
In what meaningful ways are you or your child going to explore your own “in-between” moments this summer?