Summer Jobs Help College Applications
by Tony T.
Summer is coming up soon, and what you do in summer may help you in many perspectives and also help you get into colleges.
Thinking about finding a job, being a volunteer or doing some research this summer?
There are many summer jobs high school students can do. Some popular high school summer jobs include swimming lessons instructor, lifeguarding, pool cleaning, starting a blog, tutoring, babysitting, pet sitting, and washing cars. Other jobs that might be available to you include sales associate, resort desk or hotel clerk, theme park attendant, landscaper, camp counselor, restaurant server, or host and housekeeper. These jobs will help students earn extra income and develop hands-on skills.
Summer jobs for high school students provide opportunities to learn about money management, gain important business skills, explore career opportunities, and network with others.
If you work in a restaurant or a retail store for example, you would need to serve customers, oversee inventory, and take care of the cash register. These are important duties and will help the students to get ready for college life.
High school volunteering in a hospital will allow you to do some entry-level work and experience in a real health care facility. If you are interested in medical science, there could not be a better opportunity to know what a doctor’s life is like. Experience working in a food bank or homeless shelter will enable you to help others in need, fulfill your volunteer hours requirement, and show your care of others as a good addition to your resume.
High school students may also work in research projects or labs, helping professors or researchers by maintaining labs, entering data, or assisting in other works. In return, you may build up your interest in a subject and a valuable recommendation from your mentor.
All these works can not only help boost students’ academic performance in the classroom, but can also build confidence and make students feel more capable than they were before.
So, what are the considerations in finding these opportunities?
- Build an experience or quality you are short of from the classroom, such as communication, marketing, customer service and networking, or multi-tasking or detail-oriented skills.
- Look for work that is related to your career interest or intended major.
If you are interested in law, shadowing or working in a lawyer’s office for some entry level paralegal works may help you gain better understanding of the career and demonstrate such interest to colleges. Research experience in a science lab may help you get into a selective STEM program in the future. - Match your skills with freelance opportunities, such as making content & videos, creating graphics or websites, taking care of younger siblings, or tutoring younger kids, all of which can help build up your resume for college applications.
IvyBoost’s college counseling program helps you define, research, and apply to summer jobs, volunteering, and research programs based on our understanding of your college goal and career interest.
