Freshman/ Sophomore Summer Experience

By Sara Cronin

 

Summer is an excellent time to sit back, relax and enjoy the fact that you no longer have to wake up at 5:30 every week day morning for school. Taking advantage of this time to unwind, get together with friends and let your brain take a hiatus is important. However, as a student entering your sophomore year in high school, summer is no longer just an oasis for relaxation; it is an opportunity to begin to establish some meaningful experiences that will help you to develop your story and prepare for leadership as an upperclassman down the road.

The summer prior to tenth grade is not as important as the summers leading to eleventh and twelfth grades, but it is a terrific opportunity to explore academic, extracurricular and personal areas of interest that will direct the next few years of your high school experience. Take advantage of this time to explore some possible careers. Given that you may have very little idea what type of career you want to pursue, or even if you have an idea of what lies ahead in your academic and career path, now is the time to explore a variety of fields. One way to do this is through a job shadow. In the current economic climate, finding a well paying job as a young teen is very difficult. But that does not mean that you can't explore the various careers that may interest you. Call the local newspaper and ask if you can follow the editor around for a morning to learn about the demands of her job. If you have an interest in some type of journalism, writing or communications, visiting a newspaper office can give you a sense of the harried nature of the environment, the precision necessary for those writing and editing and the current events that are being covered. Your town or community newspaper, which often runs on a more limited budget, might welcome a committed and energetic student to help with operations or with stories of local interest.

Are you interested in computers? Call a small or large company in your area and ask if you can meet with an IT person. Shadowing someone in the IT department can truly open your eyes to all that is asked of those who work in the world of information technology. Another excellent place to find a potential job shadowing experience is on a college campus. Many colleges have their own marketing departments, accountants, attorneys, human resource managers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, etc; particularly if it is a larger university. You may not want to attend this school, but the college or university can offer a great opportunity to explore numerous careers by shadowing someone in that environment. Educators or those who work in a university environment are often accommodating too knowing the career path they have chosen. Learning through job shadowing will help give you a sense about the environment of a particular career, qualifications necessary and possible growth in the field.

It is important to also ask the right questions if you are given the opportunity to shadow someone in a particular field. If you are not given the opportunity to shadow someone in a field that you have an interest, but you can meet with this person, then an informational interview is a great way to also learn more about a career. Questions surrounding the informational interview or the job shadow should include topics related to the education required in the field you are exploring, the type of experience that is needed, the various duties that are performed daily, weekly and monthly. You will also want to ask questions about any special strengths or particular qualities that would be useful to have for this particular occupation, as well as opportunities for learning, growth and expansion within the field.

Getting a jump on career exploration early in your high school career, particularly during summer down time, will help to narrow your focus as your academic experiences grow. If you are less interested in career exploration, then it becomes incumbent upon you to be active and explore your interests through action. Students who have yet to make formal plans should consider volunteer work to not only develop your interests and resume but also to make a positive contribution in your community. Involving yourself in volunteerism can have a two-fold effect. One, volunteering is an excellent way to gain experience, learn about different careers and give back to your community. Second, volunteering can help you develop a passion and that passion can turn into an opportunity for leadership experience within that organization or in some other entrepreneurial manner as you begin to define your interests. This experience also will offer much to your college application when the time comes. Your resume is bolstered, potential essay topics are discovered and interview conversation topics are just a few of the benefits to the application process that volunteering can add.

Also essential throughout the summer prior to sophomore or junior year is the willingness to continue with academic preparation. We believe in developing your academic context by showing colleges that you are genuinely interested in learning and that you can show how you are willing to explore topics beyond what your school courses have to offer. Taking a summer school class, an online class, an evening education program, an overnight academic enrichment program or a college summer school course are all ways to showcase your intellectual interests. Summer slide, or the regression of academic capabilities, can be detrimental as you begin a new school year at the end August, as it can detract from your academic development. This can be a bigger challenge for some more so than others, but it is a worthy consideration for understanding why it is valuable to remain interested in the learning process. Extended learning through reading, reviewing text books, practicing math concepts and general preparation will give you a head start to the next academic year. Read the newspaper or subscribe to an on-line news update, follow current events, read the op-ed pages of The New York Times, meet with a tutor if necessary and utilize the time over the summer to solidify what you have learned and what you will learn. Eventually you'll consider an SAT/ACT course or 1-1 tutoring for the standardized tests, but we encourage you to maintain an interest in core reading, writing and math skills more so than encouraging you to sign up for SAT prep before it is time to do so.

Summer is a great time to have fun with friends, enjoy the outdoors and unwind. However, summer must also continue your on-going high school preparation and road towards college. Taking advantage of experiences now could possibly give you more choices when you ultimately reach the college application process.