52 Weeks to College -- Week 23: Looking Ahead to Summer

I live in the Northeast. As I write this blog, it is sunny, but freezing cold outside --- somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-15 below with the wind chill. That's probably why I scheduled this week into the 52 week plan now - I want to look ahead to summer and remind myself that it will be warm again! Regardless of where you live, it would be a good idea for you to look ahead to your summer now. Why? Because thinking about it now gives you time to make the necessary supporting plans and then execute those plans. It ensures that you can have the summer you want to have.

So grab a few sheets of paper and prepare yourself to dream a little about the perfect summer after high school graduation. Answer these 10 questions and you'll have the outline of a plan for your summer and some obvious next steps for turning the dream into a reality.

1. When will your summer officially begin? Generally it is after graduation, but it may be different for you.
2. When will your summer officially end? Generally it is the day you arrive at college. Since we're dreaming now, pull out the calendar for your top pick school and see when you have to be on campus.
3. Do you want or need to work to earn money for college? Where might you work? When do you need to apply? What would your ideal schedule be?
4. Do you want to complete an internship or service project to build your skills and deepen your sense of possible career paths? What opportunities are available to you? When are the application deadlines?
5. What do you want to do for fun? Where, when, and with whom?
6. Do you want to plan some special times with your family or close friends to celebrate your graduation or to say goodbye as you leave for college?
7. When are you going to have some "down time" to just be and recover from the crazy, hectic time of senior year before starting on the new adventure called college?
8. Do you need to do some reading or complete a class before you arrive at college in the fall?
9. Does the college have a required Freshman Orientation? If so, when? Are there any optional add-on Freshman Experiences that you'd like to consider? What are they?
10. How are you going to get to college? How much time will it take?

That's it. Summer planning is almost as easy and as much fun as summer itself. Now schedule the things you need to do over the next two months for sure (e.g. apply for jobs, internships, or service projects or plan graduation celebration) and leave the rest until May 1. At that point, you can finalize the plan because you'll know where you are going to college.

As for me, I'm going to check out the recommendations on kayaks and plan a quiet water kayaking vacation for me and my husband. And of course, I'll include some stops at colleges that I've never visited so I have more information for my next class of applicants!

Comments or Questions?

Share your summer plans with us, particularly if they include some beach time!  Let others know about opportunities that are great for the last summer before college! 

Alison Cooper Chisolm writes the series 52 Weeks to College. She has worked in admissions at Southern Methodist University, the University of Chicago, and most recently Dartmouth College. She is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Virginia Law School. As part of the Ivey Consulting team, Alison works with college applicants and their families as they navigate the college admissions process. Read more about Alison here.