Choosing Summer Activities for College Admissions Success

college admissions college applications college planning summer activities summer planning May 13, 2024

3 Key Takeaways

Strategic Engagement: Choosing summer activities and extracurriculars is not just about impressing colleges, but about aligning these choices with personal values and career aspirations, ensuring that every activity is a step towards personal and professional growth.
Case Study Insights: Learning from past success stories, like Arnie and Aisha, helps illustrate the impact of targeted activities on college admissions, showing that strategic choices tailored to individual strengths and interests can set a student apart in the competitive admissions landscape.
Balanced Approach: It's crucial to maintain a balance between achieving academic excellence and ensuring personal well-being, as both are essential for sustainable success.

At Anja Education Consultants, we believe that preparing for college is more than just a series of calculated steps designed to impress an admissions panel. It’s about making choices that resonate with your deepest values and aspirations, turning each summer into a stepping stone towards your future career and personal fulfillment.

Being Strategic in Summer Activities

For high school juniors, understanding your potential majors and careers is only the beginning. “Now that you have an even clearer idea of your possible majors and careers, we want you to be strategic,” I emphasize to students. It’s not about mindlessly accumulating accolades; it’s about thoughtful engagement in activities that bolster your academic profile and personal growth. This approach is not just about gaining a competitive edge, but about enhancing your overall well-being. We guide you to invest in your future through activities that reflect your passions and ambitions, ensuring that every step you take is a purposeful stride towards your dreams.

Learn from Success Stories

Let's consider the story of Arnie, a student with a strong academic record and a passion for computer science. By participating in a national coding competition and engaging in summer research projects, including one with a mentor from NASA, Arnie was able to deepen his knowledge and demonstrate his commitment to his field. His involvement in the Student Equity Council and leadership in STEM clubs at his high school further showcased his dedication and leadership skills, culminating in his early decision acceptance to Cornell University.

Similarly, Aisha’s journey to UC Berkeley is a testament to the power of aligning one’s activities with one’s interests. With a robust GPA and SAT scores, Aisha distinguished herself through dedicated biology research and a strong leadership role as the editor-in-chief of her high school yearbook. Her experiences not only highlighted her academic prowess but also her initiative and ability to impact her community.

Our Approach at Anja Education Consultants

As the founder of Anja Education Consultants and a former Princeton University admissions interviewer, my unique insights shape our strategies. We view each student as an individual, tailoring our guidance to align their summer activities with their academic and career aspirations. This personalized approach ensures their pursuits enhance both their college applications and personal growth, helping them stand out in the competitive admissions landscape.

A Balance of Well-being and Achievement

“It’s essential to not overschedule yourself,” I advise. The well-being of our students is paramount, and while achievements are important, they should never come at the cost of health and happiness. We help our students strike a balance, ensuring that their summer planning enhances their life rather than overwhelming it.

Conclusion: Building a Future on Purposeful Choices

At Anja Education Consultants, every piece of advice we offer and every strategy we develop is aimed at not just college admission acceptances but at fostering sustainable success and happiness. Our students’ stories of admission to selective colleges like Yale and Stanford, and securing significant scholarships, are a testament to our effective, student-centered approach. We don’t just prepare students for college; we prepare them for life, with a firm foundation in their own values and aspirations.

In the landscape of college admissions, strategic, well-informed choices set the stage for not only academic success but also a fulfilling and purposeful life. At Anja Education, we are committed to guiding each student on their unique path to success, ensuring that each summer is not just spent, but invested wisely.

----

Video Transcription

(Anjali Maazel): For juniors, now that you have an even clearer idea of your possible majors and careers, we want you to be strategic. The next step is to invest what you have learned from the youth science assessment, the self-reflection exercise, and your high school transcript, that is your grades and your GPA, to strengthen your profile and build your resume in a way that is aligned with a true sense of purpose. You're not just checking off boxes to impress the colleges that you are applying to. You are going to make choices that will bring you not only a competitive edge, but also that are in line with your values and your aspirations. but also that are in line with your values and your aspirations. Your well-being matters just as much, if not more, than your achievements. So prioritize carefully and don't overschedule yourself. So to start with, to create your summer and extracurricular strategy, we're going to look at a few case studies. These are students that we worked with who each have a slightly different story of putting together extracurriculars and resume and GPA for the purposes of summer planning and choosing extracurricular activities. So Arnie, for example, who had a GPA in the A region with a 1560 SAT, he placed in national coding competition. So his main interest was computer science, and that's what he did over the summers, as well as research projects with a mentor, including one from NASA. At school, he participated in the Student Equity Council, promoting gender equality in STEM. And he did this especially through being the captain of two STEM clubs at his very competitive high school. Arnie ended up at Cornell University. He applied early decision and he declared a computer science major. So with the strength of his grades, with the rigor of the curriculum from this competitive high school, his strong SAT scores. He also added a few distinguishing characteristics because you have to remember that many students applying to selective schools are going to have top grades and SAT scores. So there have to be other distinguishing factors. So now let's move on to Aisha. So Aisha had also a very strong GPA with SAT in the mid-1550s. Her area of interest was biology. So she secured over two summers, she was a Texas student studying under a professor at Texas Tech University and engaged in biology research at a college level. And then she was also editor-in-chief of the yearbook, had a very strong photography portfolio. Additionally, Aisha came from a competitive high school. So the GPA reflected a very strong amount of rigor in her curriculum. And when you put all of that together, she was admitted to UC Berkeley, where she's going to be studying molecular and cell biology. So here again, we have a student who is strong in grades and SAT scores, but that is not going to be sufficient for admission into highly selective colleges. What she needed to choose was a combination of activities and summer programs that were going to help her stand out, especially in the field that she's interested in.

Anjali Maazel

Founder and CEO of Anja Education Consultants

At Anja Education Consultants, we pride ourselves on the exceptional expertise of our Founder and CEO, Anjali Maazel. With over 15 years of experience as an alumna interviewer for Princeton University, our team, led by Anjali, brings a wealth of knowledge in college admissions. Our interdisciplinary approach, which melds arts, international education, and public relations, allows us to provide unparalleled guidance in college planning. The cornerstone of our success is the proprietary Talent Development 3D Process™, a unique strategy that has achieved a remarkable 100% success rate in securing admissions for our clients to at least one of their top three preferred schools. As a respected Ted Talk speaker and a sought-after authority in college admissions, we are frequently invited by high schools across the globe to share our insights and strategies, empowering students to reach their full potential in the competitive world of college admissions.

Learn More About Anjali

Interested in a FREE strategy session?
Book now.

Get Started Here