Avoid the Summer Slump: 3 Steps to Create a Summer Schedule

Image of a bullet journal with a hand-drawn calendar

Summer is finally here! You’ve spent the past school year studying hard—now it’s time to take a well-deserved break! However, it’s important to find a balance between rest and building your profile. This post will guide you on how to create a summer schedule to avoid the dreaded summer slump and make the next three months worthwhile!

Step One: Identify areas of improvement in your profile

Have you created an academic resume yet? If not, start by listing out where you attend high school, your GPA, class rank, and SAT/ACT score. Then, add all of the research, activities, and volunteering opportunities you have been a part of since the summer before 9th grade. Include any awards or honors you have achieved in high school and special skills.

Now that you have an academic resume, review it and assess what could make you a stronger candidate for admissions. Are you lacking volunteering experience? Is your SAT score below the range for accepted students at schools you are applying to? Do you have a lot of engineering activities, but you recently decided you want to study business instead?

Step Two: Define your goals and brainstorm how to achieve them

Once you have an idea of what areas of your profile need to be improved, you can define your goals and determine how to achieve them! See these examples below.

Are you an incoming freshman trying to prepare for your first year in high school? Consider studying ahead for AP courses by self-studying or taking one of B2A’s Summer Preview Classes.
Are you trying to gain more volunteer experience? Explore local volunteer opportunities near you and consider looking into organizations and events related to your major.
Are you a rising junior looking to score well on the SAT or PSAT this coming fall? Consider self-studying this summer or taking one of B2A’s intensive SAT prep courses.
Are you a rising senior excited and anxious about college admissions? Consider signing up for B2A’s Gateway Program, where a counselor can help you create a balanced list of 5 schools and guide you through the application process.
Are you looking to add more research to your resume? Search summer high school research programs offered at colleges or universities where you can get research experience in a lab setting. You can also start an independent research project by analyzing different publications and collecting data about a specific question/topic you are interested in.

Step Three: Create a schedule to organize your activities

Now that you have an idea of what your goals are and how you can achieve them, it’s time to create a schedule to help keep you on track!

Here is an example of a student who wanted to make time this summer to improve his math score for the August 24th SAT through tutoring, volunteer to help people with disabilities through CAMP Camp, research biochemistry through UT Austin’s High School Research Academy, and make time for a family fishing trip—all before school starts!

Goal	Activity	Dates	Time Commitment
Relax and spend time with family	Family fishing trip to Cape Cod, Massachusetts	May 24th – June 2nd
Gain biochemistry research experience in a lab setting and network with faculty at UT Austin	UT Austin High School Research Academy Microbe Hackers research experience	June 10th – July 17th	15-20 hours per week
Volunteer in a situation where I can care for others and gain life skills	CAMP Camp	August 4th – 9th	120 hours
Improve my math SAT score from a 670 to a 750+	SAT Math tutoring	July 1st – August 16th	4 hours per week
Improve my overall SAT score (current score: 1410)	Daily SAT independent study	June 11th – August 23rd	7-10 hours per week
	First day of school	August 20th
Achieve goal score of 1500+ on the SAT	Official SAT test	August 24th

By following the steps above and creating an organized schedule, this student will be able to stay on track this summer and achieve their goals! If you need help determining where to focus your energy this summer, please reach out to B2A to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced counselors, who can offer professional guidance based on your student profile and application materials.

B2A offers 1:1 counseling services for students to receive professional guidance and/or feedback on their student profile and application materials. Meet with one of our trained counselors to identify blind spots in your profile and receive guidance in how to address them.

For 9th-11th graders, consider our Steps Program, a college admission counseling program that will help you work on your admissions profile throughout the school year so you can get a head-start on planning for college admissions. Click here for more information and to set-up an appointment with a B2A counselor today!