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Turn a SUMMER EXPERIENCE into a College Application Essay

Students come back from summer programs with all kinds of memories and mental images. A lot of them are profound realizations they have discovered about themselves and the world. Some are the conviction that they will study a certain subject heading toward a certain goal. But now, here they are, sitting in front of a college application. They have filled in all the information about grades, test scores, and classes they have taken and now face a list of essay questions:

• Tell us about yourself

• Describe your personality and a special accomplishment

• Illustrate unique aspects of who you are, what you do, and what you want out of life

• Share an experience that made an impact on you

• Write about something you learned recently

• Tell us about an academic or extracurricular interest or idea

Whether college applicants have studied architecture in France or flipped burgers all summer, the essay or other parts of the application that ask students to tell about themselves present an opportunity to show who they are. Summer programs offer a goldmine of experiences. The trouble is they also can be filled with deep potholes that are easy to stumble into if students count on just giving the details about what they did during a summer experience and expect the person reading the application to be impressed.

Like just about every other person in admissions who reads applications, Danny Easley, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admission at Georgia Tech, and those in his office look over thousands of essays a year. Easley talks about how they can tell if a student is writing from a genuine interest.

“We know whether a student did something just to do it or because he or she was passionate to learn about it. We know whether there was a real desire to find out about a certain culture or work experience,” he says.

The job of those who evaluate applications is to dig down to find the enthusiasm. He is not looking for particular types of activity, either. The applicant who has to work a summer job has perhaps learned a lot about leadership.

“We understand different students come from different backgrounds. We want to see how they are actively involved and why the experience or activity was worthwhile,” Easley says.

In thinking about summer experiences, go beyond the scuba diving certification and approach from the perspective of the following list. This is what admissions directors may see in students’ essays about their summer:

• Initiative and drive to take on challenges

• Focus on the future

• Ambition to achieve goals

• A strong and abiding interest in a particular subject

• A new-found interest in a subject

• Self-confidence

• A passion for learning

• Knowing how to work within teams

• Experience living with different people from different backgrounds

• No fear of tough jobs

• Ability to step out of their comfort zone

• Overcoming shyness

• Ability to interact with strangers

• An open mind to different ideas and ways of living

• Ability to travel alone

• Respect for different cultures

• A global perspective of the world

• Independence and self-sufficiency

• Knowing how to successfully work and live in a group

• Ability to manage time and money

• Ability to communicate with other people, regardless of language differences

• Ability to see the reality of life in underdeveloped countries

This article contains excerpts from Peterson’s “Make Summer Count: Programs & Camps for Kids & Teenagers.” Peterson’s ( www.petersons.com   ), a Nelnet company, is a leading provider of education and career guidance, test preparation, and information on educational opportunities, admissions, and financial aid.