What Should 10th and 11th Graders Do During the Summer?
- Apr 30
- 3 min read
What Should 10th and 11th Graders Do During the Summer?
What should 10th (going into 11th) and 11th (going into 12th) graders do during the summer? Nathaniel Dolquist, our CEO and Head Coach, answers here.
10th Graders
It's great to have at least one fun/interesting activity over the summer. Many kids just want to play video games or hang out with friends all summer, but if they can do any type of camp, fun experience, travel, or anything active, I highly recommend it.
I'm a big fan of summer camp. I'm an Eagle Scout and went to Boy Scout camp for a decade, then was a counselor there for two years. While many people write their college application essays about some aspect of camp, if it's meaningful to you and you have a personal story from it, it can be one of the most effective experiences to write about!
10th graders can start studying for the SAT/ACT over the summer, but I don't usually recommend they start until about October/November of sophomore year. "Summer brain" is VERY difficult to overcome, and I want kids to have a vacation. There's also math on the tests that many of them won't learn in class until the first semester of junior year! (Algebra II and some precalc)
If possible, I recommend that kids DON'T take academic classes over the summer unless they really want to or need to. Summer is such a great time to do other things than school!
11th Graders
I beg and plead with my 11th graders (going into senior year) that they try to finish their Common App personal statement before August 1st. It's the most difficult part of the application and takes the longest to finesse, and after August 1st the supplemental essays come out. Then they need to be the priority in order to get as much done as possible before school starts!
Most of my 11th graders have several weeks of summer camp, college visits, AND a family vacation planned over the summer. This is great, BUT the more college app work can get done during the summer, the better. I work with every family I talk to to create a specific plan for them so that the student can understand when the deadlines are and why it's beneficial to get stuff done "early."
I work hard to prepare my 11th graders to crush the May or June SAT or ACT. While they can study for tests over the summer, "summer brain" will always, always get to them. I do NOT recommend taking the SAT or ACT during the fall of senior year if it can be avoided. The last chance for seniors to take it is in October.
The reason why I ask juniors to work so hard during the summer (with some vacation, of course) is that applying to college is basically a full-time job, and their school teachers are not going to show them mercy in September and October. Most colleges require at least 1-3 supplemental essays, usually 100-250 words. If a student applies to ten schools (about average, though most of mine apply to 12-15 in the end), that's 10-30 additional pieces of writing.
Last year one of my students, a high achiever in New York City, was so busy with summer programs that she didn't really get a chance to start on anything until early September. She wanted to apply to a ton of Ivies and worked with me multiple times a week from September until the beginning of January. She panicked in October and had a really hard time writing her personal statement. In the end, she turned in 64 supplemental essays. She just got into Cornell and will likely attend!
In contrast, two years ago one of my students finished the personal statement in June. We got to work on the supplementals the moment they were published, and she was done with everything by mid-September. Her mother assured me there was no way she had done the required work. I assured her she had. She got into her first choice school Early Decision and, if she hadn't, would have had another 12-15 applications ready to turn in.
DO NOT have your student fill out the Common App itself until early August. It resets every year when it updates and they will lose all their work!
While you don’t HAVE to start college applications during the summer, your life will certainly be less stressful if you can. If you’d like to schedule a free consultation to make a summer plan for yourself, email Nathaniel at nathaniel@kingfisherprep.com and we’ll set up a time!
#10thGradeStudents #11thGradeStudents #SummerStudentActivities #AdviceForHighSchoolStudents #CollegeApplications #SummerCamp #SAT #ACT #CommonApp #SupplementalEssays #PersonalStatement #CollegeApplicationTutoring #EarlyAction #CollegeAppEarlyDecision #KingfisherPrep
"What Should 10th and 11th Graders Do During the Summertime?" - Written by Nathaniel Dolquist, Head Mentor and CEO, Kingfisher Prep.
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