by Jeanne Mahan, former financial aid officer at Tufts University

Summer is coming and we’re hoping we can all be out and about this year. Summer is my favorite season, and it always brings back memories of my high school and college years, when the academic work ended and summer fun and jobs began. I had several different summer jobs in those years: babysitter, hospital food service worker, waitress, and medical secretary. Each one of those jobs taught me important skills that I’ve carried with me throughout my work life: flexibility, patience, teamwork, and camaraderie.

COVID-19 looms large for all of us this year, including high school students. For many, it might be tempting to write their essays about their experiences—but should they? We’ll talk through this question and offer our perspective as former admissions officers who have read tens of thousands of admissions essays over the years. In other segments, we’ll go over how students can help themselves financially this summer and hear about one of our expert’s experiences selecting her college and studying abroad in London.

COVID-19 has disrupted many things in our world this year, including many high school students’ summer plans. We’ll be talking through how to adjust your activities with social distancing and cancellations in mind. For all those juniors who took the PSAT this past fall, we have information on how those scores will relate to scholarships available to students. Finally, if all the changes in admissions this year has you looking for assistance beyond our podcast, we have thoughts about how to evaluate your options.

by Kara Courtois, former admissions officer at Barnard College

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” —Dr. Seuss

This is the summer of reading—or at least, it could be your best literary summer yet. With the change in many summer plans due to COVID-19, my fellow college admissions counselors and I are regularly encouraging students to focus on what is in your control. Enter—READING!

by Lauren Randle, former admissions officer at Georgetown University

It’s been a tough few months, but you weathered it, and the school year is finally wrapping up. For the juniors, you might be feeling exhausted from all that the last semester brought and the ways you’ve had to adapt. My sincerest hope for you is that you’re able to return to school next fall and resume the things that make a high school experience: activities, close friendships, traditions. I want you to have that time to enjoy as a senior with as little stress as possible.

by Sara Calvert-Kubrom, former admissions officer at Lewis & Clark College

Have a science enthusiast teen at home? Fear not! There are many exciting summer opportunities that can be done from home this summer.

Guest post by Briana Bennett, Bay Area Director of BlueStamp Engineering

It’s 2020 and as modern STEM technology continues to improve, it has branched out to become more interdisciplinary than ever before. If a student is interested in music, sports, medicine, fashion, sustainability, space travel, or any other profession they can imagine, they are probably going to be working with technology in some way. Though this is true, the opportunities available for high schoolers to get hands-on, real-world experience in engineering or technology are minimal in a traditional school setting. There’s just not enough time to cover all of the required subjects. If your student is interested in STEM, they may want to consider getting this experience through a summer camp.

Students often wonder if their involvements outside of the classroom are impressive enough to help them get into a highly selective college. Is the boy who spends his weekends at yo-yo competitions more striking to the admissions committee than the girl who sits by a tree and writes poetry on Sunday afternoons? It’s all about the ways in which these students choose to present themselves. So, let’s think about the question this way: What do the Ivies and other highly selective colleges want to learn from a student’s extracurricular activities? What kind of people do these colleges seek?

Heard about The College Board’s new adversity score that will be accompanying test results at a pilot group of colleges this fall? We’ll share our thoughts about the score, including information about what it’s based on, why it was created, and what the impact will be for applicants this year. We’re also offering suggestions for getting the most out of your summer experience, whether a job, internship, course, or something else, and we’re answering your questions in Office Hours.

This is part one of an ongoing series we’re launching on the Insider blog on “Kids and Money.” As you prepare to send your child off to college, you should also be thinking about how to foster in them the skills necessary to build financial independence. In this series, we’re going to discuss how students can earn, spend, save, borrow, and protect their money in a way that aligns with personal and family values. Type “Kids and Money” into our Search Box to find all installments of the series.

Whether your child is old enough for a “traditional” summer job or not, there are definitely ways that kids of all age—teens, tweens, and younger kids—can make money during the summer, put their time to good use, and start saving.