As students return from summer break–relaxed, refreshed, ready for school—they face the age-old question: What did they do over the summer? For many, it was going to the beach or hanging out with friends, but for others, the answer is a bit more complicated.

The prospect of college can hang over the heads of high schoolers, leading some to spend every minute of their spare time preparing for it, sacrificing their own interests and personal goals in the process. Instead of learning new skills, learning about themselves, and creating a clear vision for their future, students participate in courses of little interest to them, solely because the courses are given by prestigious schools.

Every summer, a number of students from Parker fly around the country, and often the world, to attend such summer courses.  Hoping to get a competitive edge for the future, Parker students spend large amounts of money and massive chunks of their summer behind desks, hoping that one day, an admissions officer will reward their vigilance. By only practicing for tests and padding their applications, however, students lose out on the chance to pursue their personal interests.

According to Raymond Ravaglia, the former associate dean for pre-collegiate studies at Stanford University, “Students who have begun to encounter the fullness of life and have explored a sense of direction are inherently more appealing to colleges and universities than those hothouse flowers who have only demonstrated their ability to be good students.”

Schools are often searching for students who have specific interests and can play a specific role in a well–rounded class, instead of someone who is attempting to fulfill all of the roles at once. By exploring their passions and concentrating on what they enjoy, students with authentic, deep interests become more enticing.

What a student gains from taking a summer course truly depends on her motivation. For someone who is dedicated to being in the medical field, taking a course about medicine shows dedication to a specific personal goal. By contrast, someone who is interested in business taking a poetry course just because it’s at a prestigious university might make their interest in the topic seem shallow. Using a summer course to show schools that a student has a vision for her future and is dedicated to its pursuit is worth more to an admissions office than someone taking a course that shows no consistency with the rest of their interests.

But all of these discussions about how students should spend their summers are worthless until someone decides to put them into action, and that’s what I tried to do this summer. I spent time hanging out with friends and relaxing, doing the normal summertime things, but I also worked in my uncle’s bike shop and studied for upcoming tests—by myself—which helped me strike what felt to me like a balance between school work and real world skills. By creating this balance I was able to help the community some and prepare for my own future, without sacrificing my summer because of it.

This was for me a good way to spend a summer because, as much as getting into a great school is helpful, it’s only a small fraction of the work, and by preparing for life beyond the moment of admissions, you are getting yourself far more ready for the real world than is someone who spends all her time behind a desk. Additionally, as more and more people begin to challenge the status quo, colleges will be forced to change their policies, and the applications process will change.

By focusing on their interests, honing their vision, and preparing themselves for the world at large, students will not only be more enticing to prospective schools and universities but will be more well-rounded and more prepared for the future because of it. The change students will be able to influence by pursuing their own interests, will have more of an impact on their lives than sitting in a classroom all summer, and it also will allow them to flourish in and beyond college.