How to Spend the Summer as an Aspiring Engineer

Future engineers, we see you. The movers, shakers, thinkers, and game-changers-to-be of the world. And you’ve prepared, too. Science olympiad and math league are old hat, whatever math you’re currently taking is one of your favorite classes, and you’ve probably tinkered with more odds and ends than you can remember.

But then summer rolls around and school ends, and along with it goes all of the science, math, and outreach extracurriculars that operate when school’s in session. You now have this huge amount of free time that you can do practically anything with — while it may not seem like much on the surface, it’s actually a big opportunity in disguise.

There’s nothing more an engineering college loves to see than a curious self-starter who’s not afraid to get his or her vhands dirty, and taking initiative to enrich your own engineering portfolio during the summer is a good way to show the engineering adcoms just that.

Of course, some of you already have things planned out, and that’s great! But for the people who are drawing a blank, who need some inspiration or ideas, this post is for you. Here’s a list of summer plans that we recommend for aspiring engineers — some drawn from our own experiences.

The no-brainer: Summer programs

Let’s get this one out of the way first since this is what usually comes to mind for people when they think about application-boosting summer experiences. This is essentially the better version of summer camp, where you go to a college and take college-level classes, or refine your skills through real-world practice. The point here is that you’ll go somewhere that’s not home for the sole purpose of building your technical repertoire with a group of like-minded people — which is essentially what college is, for an engineer. And it’s immensely fun.

Programs like Carnegie Mellon’s Pre-College and the University of California’s Summer School for Mathematics and Science are designed to train future engineers and scientists that will go on to use their skills in college and even to participate in research beyond that.

Often, gaining admission to these programs is in itself a rigorous process, and can signal to colleges your skill and interest in the STEM subjects. Another good part about participating in these summer programs is that they can help you network and make connections with people in STEM — a good mentor relationship with a summer program’s professor, for instance, can make for a valuable recommendation letter when it comes application time. Other times, some of these program are also geared towards building leaders in the STEM fields, so they  can also double as a leadership extracurricular.

However, most of these programs are expensive especially for international students — some of them may offer scholarships, but not all of them do. That’s the main drawback to this type of summer program; some of these programs may be just as expensive as paying college fees at these colleges. The good news, though, is that price is often inversely proportional to the prestige of the program; the less you pay to get in, the more impressive it looks on an application. In fact, you should be wary of expensive summer programs, as those are perceived as more of a sign of privilege on an application than your engineering capabilities.

The go-getter: Learning a new (programming) language

Coding is an important skill to have as an engineer today. If you’re going into software engineering, then it’s a given. If you’re a mechanical engineer, programs can be helpful in running simulations. If you’re analyzing data, you’ll need something like Matlab. Computers are some of the most powerful engineering tools we have today, and to be able to use them freely is a valuable addition to any skillset. In fact, many engineering colleges now require their undergraduates to take at least one coding class as a graduation requirement.

If you’re already a logical thinker (like many of you are), this shouldn’t be too hard. With the wealth of online tutorials, videos, APIs, forums, and other resources, all the information you need to master a new language is readily available. It might take a bit of practice and lots of trial and error, but it’ll be worth it in the end when you can create your own programs that make your life easier.

Either of these pursuits can show up as a bright spot on any application, especially since your motivation for starting this pursuit (and completing it) was entirely intrinsic. It can also be good material for a personal statement, since honestly — how many people can go into college saying they’ve built their own app from scratch?

The altruist: Teaching and sharing your knowledge

Engineering is what builds the entire infrastructure of our modern society, and engineers can definitely change the world. But what about on a smaller scale? What about helping, mentoring, or inspiring one person at a time?

Colleges like to admit community-builders, people who are willing to help other people out and people who can appreciate diversity. So, if you feel comfortable in your STEM skills and knowledge, why not spend a summer sharing it with others? Many summer educational camps and programs love having tutors work with younger children to try and foster an early interest in science and math. Science museums across the nation always welcome knowledgeable, enthusiastic tour guides who would love to answer questions for curious guests. Or you could even volunteer and start your own mentoring program — outreach is always important for STEM, and if you’re dedicated to making science and math more accessible to people, this might just put your interests in line with those of your ideal college.

Sharing your knowledge for the sake of other people shows your interest in making positive, altruistic change in the world, and may also attest to your mentorship and social skills.

While your intelligence and your academic ability are important to a college in deciding whether or not to admit you, who you are as a person also factors in greatly, as a result of holistic admissions. So in presenting yourself, applications-wise, it’s important to remember not to just show yourself as the student that adcoms want to see in their lecture halls, but the person that they would love to see around campus.

Whether it’s by taking a summer off for a STEM program, teaching yourself a new skill, or by helping others out with the knowledge you have, you won’t just be outstanding in your stats alone — these summer experiences will show these colleges that you are the type of person that they’d want to see as an engineer at their institution.

Still confused? Come have a chat with us!

Extracurricular Ideas for an Aspiring Journalist

Why Pursue Journalism?

In general, strong extracurriculars are always a bonus on a college application. They can serve to strengthen your academic profile, highlight interests not otherwise obvious through traditional school or classwork, and provide you with valuable, real-world experience.

Journalism is one extracurricular that is fairly closely tied with your traditional academic coursework. In some cases it may even be a partial requirement of some of your English classes. Pursuing journalism outside of class exemplifies your dedication to the craft and gives you some insight into the broader idea of writing as a possible career path.

It might be easy to think of journalism as a pipe dream, since in reality only the very top journalists will see their work published nationally and achieve the high end of the pay scale. But in reality many careers exist in which strong writing skills are highly valuable, be they journalistic or not. By pursuing journalism, you train for a career as not only a journalist, but also a number of other options. We’ll discuss these more in depth at the end of this post.

Career Paths for the Aspiring Journalist

It’s easy to think of journalism as a career path in and of itself, but you’d be selling yourself short if you limited your vision in this way. Journalistic skills actually prepare you for a number of potential career paths—essentially, any career that incorporates strong writing abilities.

These skills are particularly valuable in the fields of:

◦ Advertising

◦ Business

◦ Communications

◦ Digital Media

◦ E-Commerce

◦ Educational and Instructional Technology

◦ Education

◦ Law

◦ Marketing

◦ Media Studies

◦ Public Relations

◦ Publishing

◦ Radio and Television

◦ Sports Communications

◦ Technical and Business Writing

◦ Webpage and Multimedia Design

Developing your skills as a journalist not only prepares you for a career in journalism, but also develops valuable skills that can be applied broadly depending on your other skills and interests.

Opportunities to Pursue Journalism

Student Newspaper or Magazine

This is the most obvious option for students who are interested in journalism. Many schools already have a school newspaper, and getting involved is as simple as talking to the editor or faculty adviser.

Most school newspapers produce printed or online editions on a regular basis. The more often your school publishes a paper, the more writers they will generally need to keep their work flowing.

You may have to start in an entry level role taking assigned stories, but you can think of this as good training for an actual career in journalism, when you’ll likely start out similarly. Over time you may be able to work towards a leadership position or at least start to source and pitch your own stories.     

If your school does not have a student newspaper, you might be able to start one. Start by gathering a group of interested and skilled students. Choose a teacher as a potential faculty adviser. This should be someone who has taught you in the past and who has some kind of expertise in writing or publishing. Meet with that teacher to request advice and guidance.

Volunteer Your Writing Skills

Newspapers aren’t the only outlet for journalistic skills. Any organization that produces written communications has a need for strong writing. Consider reaching out to local charities like animal shelters or food pantries. You could also contact retirement homes, community centers, youth groups, or your local church.

These types of nonprofit organizations generally welcome any publicity they can get and would be happy to have you volunteer your services. Offer to write a newsletter outlining recent changes or developments in the organization. Ask leaders for stories they would like to see highlighted or propose your own if you’re already familiar with the organization. 

Volunteering your writing services is a good way to get your work in print and begin to build a portfolio. As you progress to more professional roles, you’ll always be asked for samples of your work. Be sure to keep hard copies of everything you’ve written, especially when it has been formatted and printed as a part of any professional copy.

Get Published

Along these same lines, you can also submit your work to be published at existing publications. Many newspapers or online news sites rely on submissions from freelance writers. Even if they don’t specifically seek work from high school students, they won’t necessarily know your age when you submit a piece of writing.

Be sure to do your homework before submitting anything to a new publication. You should be aware of the specific types of writing that they are interested in and the correct submissions address to send your work.

At some publications you will only get one chance to be considered seriously. If you submit something that is off target or not polished and fully edited, they are unlikely to take your submissions seriously in the future.

Instead, seek out publications that publish exactly the type of piece you’re submitting. Proofread carefully and get constructive criticism from a teacher or peer before sending in your work. Consider submitting to smaller, local or regional publications first. Or, consider submitting your work online.

Browse this list of online publications for some ideas of where to submit. Be sure to select carefully and keep in mind that publications that pay for submissions are likely to be more competitive and hold you to overall higher standards.

Enroll In A Summer Program

Academic and extracurricular summer programs are becoming a more and more common way to pass the summer break. Many opportunities exist for students interested in pursuing journalism. In these programs you can expect to develop your journalistic skills, build important connections, and gain a better understanding of the field of journalism.

Some of the best known programs include:

• National Student Leadership Conference’s Journalism, Film & Media Arts Summer Program

• International Summer Schools (ISSOS) Journalism Programs

• Cronkite Institute for High School Journalism

• JCamp Summer Program

Many of these programs have need-based financial aid or scholarships, so if finances are a concern for you, be sure to research these options well before dismissing them.

You should also consider summer journalism programs available at colleges or universities. These programs can help you to network with faculty and students who might ultimately be able to help you with the application process.

Some popular college programs include:

• Northwestern University

• Princeton University

• Boston University

Start Your Own Online Publication

This is an easy way to start publishing your own work. Use a blog platform and choose an angle to focus your writing on. Some examples might be local news, politics, or opinion pieces. Try to publish something on a regular basis by creating a content schedule in advance. Try mapping out one topic per week for the month ahead and stick to it.

This is a great way to share your writing on a public platform, and it can act as an informal portfolio of your work. It also helps to hold you accountable to a larger audience. You can start a blog for free on many different platforms, including WordPress, Blogger, LiveJournal, or Weebly.

Once your blog is up and running, send out a group email to let friends and family know about it. If you are on social media, share a link there as well. As with any other time that you add to your online presence, be sure to discuss your plans with a parent or guardian beforehand. It’s also a good idea to limit commenting on your posts in order to filter out spam or unwanted attention.