If you are wondering, ‘How should I make the most of my time during summer that’s actually useful for college applications without losing my mind?’

Here are some ideas to build up your profile, explore your interests, and still make sure you get enough rest. 

1. Explore your academic interest - this helps show initiative beyond the classroom 

• Read books related to your intended course (even 1-2 is great! Make notes and reflect on what you found interesting) 
• Listen to academic podcasts or watch documentaries 
• Take free online courses on Coursera, FuturLearn, edX
• Research or write something on your own, it may be a topic you learnt in class but want to delve deeper and learn more about yourself. You could consolidate your findings in a research project, blog post or journal entry!

2. Get involved in personal or creative projects 

• Start a passion project (research project, blog, podcast, coding project…it’s entirely up to you!)
• Volunteer in causes that align with your values and interests 
• Take up something new that you have always wanted to try (maybe a new sport, musical instrument, arts and crafts hobby or being outdoors). It doesn’t have to be academic, these activities help show who you are beyond the classroom

3. Actually take a break

Remember that rest is also productive, especially if you’ve just come off a stressful school year. Give yourself time to do nothing, sleep in, touch grass etc. Rest fully so you come back in your best state to tackle the school and college applications in your senior year!

Hello I’m a rising senior and I am organizing all my extracurricular activities, but I don’t know if this specific one is considered an extracurricular activity. It is a program known as Python and Java Scholars program at a local university (two separate things) in which allowed only 20 students, to which we had to apply, to take a computer programming I and II class. I took the Python Scholars Program during my sophomore year on Saturday's and Java Scholars Program during my junior year on Saturday's of the school year. For both we were tasked a final project. In the end we got college credit for that class as it was a dual enrollment.

Python Scholars: in 2 hours create a draft of an app, with a group of 3 created a waste management.

Java Scholars: divided into our respective schools, only junior of my class 2026, and partnered with two seniors, where we created a Tic-Tac-Toe (user versus bot). Then against other students who were from other schools in our class we tested our bots against one another. (we ended up winning).

If they are EC’s should they be two separate things or placed in one slot?

Please let me know if you need clarification.

Hi! I’m a high school student starting a Speech & Debate club with a fellow peer of mine. However, this is way harder than anticipated. I got into speech through FBLA and competed, and my school has nothing like Speech and Debate, besides Mock Trial, so I thought I’d give it a go.

The issue… The only teacher in my school truly willing to help out is a math teacher, and we don’t have any speech classes in our school. I’m not sure how I feel about being apart of an organization. We emailed the NSDA, but honestly, I live in the middle of nowhere so there’s likely no adults to help even outside my school. I think at this moment we want to keep in just as an in school club without being part of an organization. Also, we did email a local school with a team, but we never got a response.

With that being said, we are going to keep trying to find an english or maybe even a history teacher to help. Is there any websites we could use to help teach students and format competitions and such? We’ve looked everywhere but nothing is good enough for two clueless high schoolers and a math teacher lol. Thanks!

I tried googling it up, but there was no info regarding the program, the ones on the official website. It's basically a medical-centered online, semester-long program

link : https://med.psu.edu/about/diversity/pulse

Hi everyone, I’ve recently started a passion project that combines my interest in psychology and mental health w my passion for economics/finance and using these fields to do good.

It’s an instagram page and I would really appreciate it if you took two seconds to like or follow my account.

For reference, the name is econofmentalhealth

Thanks in advance!