Notice I didn't say "10 Things Every Teen Should Do This Summer to Get Into All the Elite Schools"? Or, "10 Things Your Teen Must Do This Summer to Finish His College Application by Labor Day"? Please do not view this article as a checklist; instead as suggestions primarily to help you guide your teen to develop habits, or better habits, that will foster growth and serve her/him well in high school and beyond. Several of the items relate specifically to preparing for the college admissions process, but my experience with my own kids during the summer months has been mixed. And that's ok!
What is most important over the summer is quality time with parents and siblings, whether lingering over meals, game nights, or road trips (three of my favorites), and not feeling like every minute needs to be scheduled or productive.
With that, here are 10 great things to encourage your teen to do this summer...
#1: Read
Anything! Help your teen establish a reading habit if they don't have one already. Fiction, non-fiction, graphic novel, magazines...doesn't matter. Just try to encourage at least some reading offline. Reading is one of few cheap and easy ways to grow in knowledge and understanding of the world. Regular reading will also help your teen when it comes time to write their Common App personal statement, otherwise known as the (dreaded) essay.
#2: Travel
Nothing, perhaps other than regular reading, promotes a stronger world view than leaving our home bubble. Seeing other parts of the country, or world if possible, finding a balance between planning and spontaneity, and dealing with a variety of inconveniences, issues, and people are hands down the best education available. Put your kids in charge of some of the planning and include them in interactions with hotel employees, wait staff at restaurants, and other people you come across during a trip.
#3: Lifeskills 101
If your teenager does not yet do their laundry, summer is a great time to pass down that task. Washing dishes, vacuuming, and other general household chores, as well as basic car maintenance and repairs can also be worked into the summer schedule. Both of my recent college graduate kids were amazed at the number of dorm-mates who had no idea how to do laundry or many other independent living tasks. Paid or unpaid work also fits well into this lifeskills category.
#4: Finances
If your child is a rising high school junior or senior PLEASE start having regular conversations about money management, including budgeting, credit, debt, taxes, and reviewing a pay stub. Most important, be open about college financial aid and what financial assistance you hope or plan to provide, and what they will be responsible for. If you don't want your teen to leave college saddled with debt, now is the time to start working as a team to ensure that doesn't happen by fostering a strong financial awareness and mindset.
#5: Organization
Like adults, teens usually have an organization "set point", i.e., the amount of clutter they tolerate and definition of clean. Without forcing a square peg in a round hole, work with your teen over the summer months to establish an organizational habit (there's that word again), particularly if organizing doesn't come naturally. Sort and purge last year's school materials, physical and digital, and bonus points for preparing for the year ahead more than a week before fall semester begins. This article and the accompanying checklist provide suggestions.
#6: Conversations
Aside from financial conversations, which are important enough to warrant a separate listing, be intentional about having regular conversations with your teen. This might be as simple as each person drawing a Table Topic* card during the one meal you hopefully schedule together each day. For deeper conversations, I outlined several categories and ideas in these posts: Key Conversations Part 1, Key Conversations Part 2, and Key Conversations Part 3, but simply spending time shooting the breeze about the world, their interests, your interests, or current events will help build your and your teen's talking and listening muscles for the difficult college admissions process ahead.
#7: Get Outside the Box
Encourage your teen to explore a new interest! Check out summer community education offerings run by your school district, local museums, or nature centers. There are hundreds of online options as well, many of which are free, though more online learning is probably a last resort. Sure, your teen can continue to dig into an area of interest in which they've previously participated, but encourage them to think outside the box and try something new.
#8: Review Next School Year's Class Schedule
Sit with your teen and evaluate their upcoming academic schedule from the eyes of a college admissions officer. No one expects or wants a high school student to cram every AP course possible into their schedule, however, a strong academic course load and demonstrated rigor DOES matter. Is there at least one AP or advanced course that will stretch them academically? If they have designs on a particular college major or future career, do they have one or more courses in their schedule to support advanced learning in that chosen field?
#9: Standardized Test Prep (Maybe)
Almost 2/3s of 4-year colleges are now test optional. Some schools that shifted to test optional during COVID have moved back to requiring a standardized test score, but many remain test optional. The upside of test optional is a more equitable process for all and more opportunities for teens who do not test well. The downside is that a lack of test scores puts more pressure on the essay and other aspects of the college application package. If your teen plans to take one or more of the big tests in the fall (PSAT, SAT, and/or ACT), the summer is a good time to take a few practice tests or complete other prep work in a low stress environment. Just two hours per week will provide a solid foundation.
#10: Common App Essay Prep (Definitely)
If your teen will be a senior (or a motivated junior) in the fall, everything you can do to encourage him to have a solid essay drafted or fully completed by the start of fall semester will save him and your family enormous stress. The Common App essay is not your standard five paragraph English paper, and the more time your teen allows to draft, edit, review, and revise, the better the end product will be. Essay questions for the Common App will be officially released on August 1st, but change little from year to year. Encourage your teen to use the 5-part process outlined on the Resource page of Uncommon College Guide to complete, or at minimum have a solid draft, of their personal statement before the fall semester begin.
More than anything, spend time with your teen and DON'T try to push all of these ideas. Perhaps the pandemic allowed your household to reframe and focus on what's important, and the 10 items on this list are solidly in place. If not, go slowly but with intention, and remember that our teens are always watching what we do far more than listening to what we say.
*Table Topics brand conversation starters offer a variety of themed boxed sets, including Family Gathering, Inspiring Women, and Teen tabletop editions, and Road Trip and Can You Imagine? travel editions, along with many others. I am not an affiliate, just a fan. You can find their products here: https://www.tabletopics.com/.