High School Juniors: 

Get the application edge over other students by participating in some great summer activities that other teens are not doing!  This will get you noticed and make you stand out when those admissions officers are reading your application next November!  Don't just participate, be a leader and then write about it in your admissions essays. 

Some of these ideas might sound a little far fetched but they just might get you thinking of some new and exciting options. 

1.  Start a recycling program at your old elementary school.  Make sure you partner with at least one teacher and get other adults involved.  Show that you can plan, organize and manage adults as well as other teens and children. 

2.  Conduct some scientific research.  Not as hard as it sounds, look in your community for a need or problem such as clean drinking water.  Start taking samples from school drinking fountains and go from there.  Get noticed by calling your local paper, radio and TV stations.  Present the findings at a City Council meeting!

3.  Write articles for your local paper.  Not that hard, most local papers would be thrilled to have an occasional free lance writer that they do not have to pay!

4.  Climb Mt. Everest/Mt. Everest Jr or swim the English Channel

5.  Volunteer at a medical clinic in a third world country.  Think about turning your family vacation into a Volunteer Vacation.  Going on an extended trip to visit family?  Have your relatives help set up a volunteer job for you.
Help run a local campaign.  Is there a Special Election in your area this summer?  Get involved in one of the campaigns that you care about.

Don't forget to document whatever you do and take notes for future essays!