<p>Summer should be about working and earning money even if you don’t need it in your family. Why? Because unless you actually get out there and get a job and have to show up day after day, you won’t understand how the world works. Working shows that you are reliable, determined, not relying on your parents, self-sufficient, and will result in many valuable real life experiences, no matter how dull and boring it is.</p>
<p>Volunteer also. Make a difference in someone’s life. Whether it’s at a camp, senior citizen community, mentally challenged youngsters or adults, or even babysitting for someone, you can do something for someone else. It’s not always about you, it’s about what you can offer others.</p>
<p>About the summer programs. We went the high priced programs route with our first. She travelled abroad, learned languages, did leadership courses in medicine, even went on outward bound experiences. By our second we had learned our lesson. She worked and volunteered. By the third we mixed small amounts of travel with EMT course, volunteering in a hospital setting, working for pay at a camp and office, and SAT prep course. </p>
<p>Whatever you do, make it the whole package. If you have great SAT, skip the prep course. Volunteer and work, they will be whole sections on your application, and not to be ignored. Especially the working. If you can travel for culture, do a small amount. Don’t write about it on an essay. </p>
<p>If you have an interest in something, try to find work/internship that applies. If you can’t, volunteer. There is nothing worse than an application which just demonstrates how many enrichment experiences your parents could afford. Not everyone can. It is how you demonstrate what impact you will have on others which is going to make a great application. Good luck.</p>