<p>That is your opinion. It’s a fairly stereotypical response for high striving students and parents to assume that education is desirable in the summer as well as during the school year. But that is what your college is going to be for, education. You can take advanced math, science, engineering, languages at the college level. </p>
<p>Summers should be to experience something different. Working is highly desirable on resumes for college. Why? Because you actually took responsibility for something, earned money, showed up day after day, and did something maybe completely mundane for you. Yes, you can learn languages via Rosetta Stone at home. You can even open up a math or science book and teach yourself the material if you are a star. But nothing is like the day to day grind of going out into the world and seeing life firsthand. </p>
<p>Summer is what you make of it. If it’s more education, your resume will be lacking. If it’s volunteering, good for you, that’s important. If it’s working, that shows you are a person who values service to others in a different sense. You can set aside your pride and bag groceries or help at camp or babysit and step away from yourself as an intellectual long enough to see what the rest of the world does.</p>
<p>We have heard from college admissions repeatedly that working is highly valued. If that section is completely blank and you have never held a real job, good luck. You are going to look like the many other college hopefuls who never saw the light of day outside of the classroom. And your application is not going to stand out at all, no matter how many awards and AP credits you have.</p>