In this week’s show, I try my best to help you, help your child, figure out what to do this summer. If you’ve been following this podcast for some time, it shouldn’t take much to convince you how important summer experiences can be for your child - not only to make their college application look better - but for real life as well.
I know, it’s not easy to figure out what to do with teenagers over the summer. Especially if they don’t drive, or work, and you do work, and everything seems so expensive. That’s why I’m recording this podcast - to give you some ideas. Yes, this is challenging time - and yes, colleges are expecting bigger and better things from students as competition grows. It means that it will take more effort and planning on our part. No problem. I’ll show you how to make it happen. I believe the effort will be worth it - no matter how things end up in the college admissions process.
The summer gives students an opportunity to (1) explore subjects/topics/questions that have piqued their curiosity, (2) get a paying job, (3) secure an internship to help get a feel for different career opportunities and job environments, (4) further their education, (5) travel, (6) volunteer, (7) study for standardized tests, (8) double-down on preparation for their sport, (9) start a small business, (10) learn a new skill, (11) read, (12) build something, (13) write their essays - and the list goes on and on.
Here is what I discuss in this episode:
0:01:30 Doing something is better than nothing
0:02:30 What are the big opportunities over the summer
0:03:14 What is step #1 in helping my child plan for the summer?
0:03:38 Dimension #1: How motivated are they?
0:03:52 Dimension #2: What are their aspirations?
0:04:04 Dimension #3: What activities would support these goals?
0:04:19 Dimension #4: What is the best timing for each activity?
0:05:21 Case Study: Drew
0:06:15 Apply same process for aspiring doctor, lawyer, CEO, veterinarian, Olympian
0:06:45 Role Playing (Mom vs Drew)
0:07:31 Exploring goals
0:09:14 Sit down with child with blank sheet of paper
0:14:20 Drew’s plan for summer after freshman year
0:17:00 Drew’s plan for summer after sophomore year
0:19:18 Drew’s plan for summer after junior year (final summer)
0:20:35 The summer internship - friend or foe?
0:23:55 What about the $5-7K summer enrichment programs?
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Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.
Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.
