Sadhvi Mathur

The Ultimate Summer Checklist for High School Students

summer checklist for high school students

•  The Summer Before Freshman Year

• Acquaint yourself with your high school, specifically how the classrooms are laid out, so that you won’t be lost on the first day.

• Make sure that you’re ready for high school by buying all your school supplies, figuring out transportation, buying your textbooks, finalizing your class schedule, and working out all other logistics. 

• Create a four-year plan of the classes you intend to take throughout high school.   

• Make a list of which clubs and activities you may want to pursue during high school.

• If you can, try and do some community service work or attend an academic program.

•  The Summer Before Sophomore Year

• Taking on an impactful community service project. See 32 Community Service Ideas for Teen Volunteers to get you started.

• Shadowing someone in a career that interests you. Even if it is just for a week or two, the experience could prove to be invaluable.

• Working in a lab or hospital that takes high school volunteers/interns.

• Attending a pre-college summer program at a university you really want to attend in a field you think you may want to pursue. 

• The Summer Before Junior Year

• Getting a job at any local business or company that will hire high school students. Don’t expect anything too fancy. Most students’ first job is a simple minimum wage job. 

• Again, working in a lab or hospital that takes high school students/volunteers is a great way to gain real-world business skills while making a difference.

• Taking on a big personal project like starting your own business or writing/publishing a novel.

• The Summer Before Senior Year

• Gather all of the information you’ll need for your college applications, including your test scores, your extracurricular profile, your community service work, and you work experience. 

• Secure a copy of your latest transcript, GPA, and class rank so that you can refer to it when you’re filling out your college applications. 

• Take on a project that will really set you apart from other applicants on your college applications. This could be an internship at a company that takes high school interns, creating your own business or startup, etc.

• Finalize your college list. This is an ideal time to figure out which colleges you are going to be applying to and getting everything in order for application season.

• If you’re still trying to take the SAT or ACT to get a higher score, focus on studying for those exams. You’re running out of chances to improve your score!