Summer Planning for College Admissions: How to Help Your Student Stand Out

As the school year winds down, summer offers more than a break—it’s a powerful opportunity to help your student take the next step in their college journey. We’re sharing this now because the next few months are the optimal time to begin shaping your student’s summer plans, and early planning can make all the difference. Many programs, internships, and opportunities open their applications (or even fill) by winter. Whether your teen is just starting high school or is already deep into projects and leadership roles, summer can serve as the launch pad that strengthens their story for college admissions.

The right summer choices can help students clarify interests, strengthen skills, deepen passions, build direction, and help them grow into a more confident, purposeful applicant.

Here’s how to help your teen make summer matter.

1. Deepen a passion

Encourage your student to use summer to expand on something they already love. For younger students, this might mean exploring an interest through a class, camp or shadowing experience. For older students, it could mean taking that same interest further by teaching others, creating a project, or leading an initiative. If they’re musical, maybe they join an advanced ensemble or lead a local performance. If they’re STEM-focused, they might design a project or combine a camp, internship, or research experience into one focused theme.

Admissions officers look for growth and direction. They want students who take an initial spark of interest and build on it intentionally over time.

2. Strengthen or showcase a project

Many students today are creating incredible things: small businesses, nonprofits, blogs, digital ventures, research projects, or podcasts. Summer is the perfect time for students to build on those efforts. They can update a website, grow their impact, collect data, or reflect on what they’ve learned so far.

For those just beginning, summer offers the space to brainstorm and launch something new—whether large or small—that demonstrates initiative and ownership. Even small projects, when sustained with purpose, can make a big impression in applications.

3. Gain real-world experience

Internships, part-time jobs, and volunteer work all help students apply what they’ve learned in real settings. Whether they’re helping a business with social media, assisting in a lab, or volunteering at a clinic, these experiences give them clarity about their future path and strengthen their applications with concrete evidence of initiative and interest. Plus, these experiences build maturity. Students learn to manage schedules, communicate with adults, and problem-solve independently—all traits colleges associate with success.

4. Learn something new

Summer is a great time to learn something outside the school curriculum. Encourage your teen to take a class or dive into a subject they couldn’t fit into the school year: economics, computer science, language immersion, architecture, app development, or creative writing. Pre-college programs, university classes, and certified online courses let students dive into topics that spark curiosity.

Learning for the sake of learning shows intellectual curiosity, and consistent curiosity signals to colleges that a student will engage deeply on campus. This is something colleges love to see.

5. Explore research or independent study

If your student is academically inclined, summer can be an ideal time to work on a research project or partner with a mentor. Older students, especially juniors, can use summer to explore research or independent study. There are opportunities in STEM, social sciences, the humanities, and more.

Even if the project doesn’t lead to formal publication, the process itself builds confidence and creates powerful stories for essays and interviews.

6. Cultivate leadership and interpersonal skills

Leadership can take many forms: mentoring younger students, organizing a fundraiser, or serving as captain of a team. Encourage your teen to take ownership of something this summer, whether that means working as a counselor, starting a small business, or leading a community project. And keep in mind: leadership is not about the title; it’s about taking initiative and making an impact. These experiences strengthen empathy, communication, and confidence. All these are traits that help students stand out in competitive college pools. They also show colleges that your student is ready to contribute.

7. Use travel or cultural immersion for growth

Family travel or cultural programs can be meaningful learning experiences when approached intentionally. Whether through service abroad, language immersion, or simply exploring new environments, these experiences can teach adaptability, awareness, and global perspective—all key themes in strong essays. Encourage your student to reflect: What did I learn about another culture and about myself? How did I adapt, communicate, or connect differently? These reflections become rich material for future essays and interviews.

8. Prioritize meaningful service

Colleges don’t look for hours. They look for impact. Help your teen identify a cause they care about and stay consistent with it. Tutoring, environmental work, or local community outreach can all become powerful stories of contribution and empathy. Whether it’s volunteering locally, supporting an environmental cause, or developing a peer tutoring initiative, the key is purpose.

Consistency and reflection also make service experiences stand out. Admissions readers want to see students who connect service to their values and who keep showing up, even when it’s not required.

9. Balance productivity with rest

A successful summer includes balance. Encourage your teen to rest, recharge, and reconnect with family and friends. Reading for pleasure, exercising, and downtime all restore creativity and motivation. A healthy, balanced student is better prepared to start strong in the fall. Colleges value students who know how to push themselves while also protecting their well-being.

Bringing it all together: A family plan for summer

Here’s a simple framework for families of high schoolers:

• Reflect: What are your student’s genuine interests and goals?
• Select: Choose one or two key focus areas (passion, project, program, internship, or job), one service or leadership element, and time for rest.
• Plan Early: Applications for programs and internships often open in December/January. Competitive programs fill quickly. Don’t miss deadlines!
• Document: Encourage your student to track experiences, take photos, and record reflections for future essays.
• Connect: Help them articulate their “why:” Because of this experience, I now understand X, and I hope to do Y in college.

When approached this way, summer becomes a strategic part of your child’s college journey and not just “time off.”

How International College Counselors can help

Designing a meaningful summer plan is easier with expert guidance. ICC advisors help families and students:

• Find and apply to summer programs, internships, research, and service opportunities
• Build and strengthen independent projects or portfolios
• Create balanced plans that show growth without burnout
• Turn summer experiences into powerful essays and narratives

Our counselors meet them where they are and help them move forward with purpose and clarity whether your student is:

• entering high school and exploring possibilities,
• building on a growing project or passion, or
• preparing for college applications and essays,

This isn’t about doing more.

It’s about doing what’s intentional, aligned, and authentically theirs.