Help Your Student Have a Productive Summer
While your student may look forward to summer break as a time to relax, lazy days may be a thing of the past. Summer break is a great time to explore college campuses and career options.
Why It Matters
- Sophomores are in a sweet spot.
Many students may not be quite old enough or have the ability to get themselves back and forth for available part-time jobs between ninth and 10th grades. But they often have plenty of time over summer break and are starting to think about what they want to do after high school. - Get a feel for a career or major.
It’s difficult to know what different jobs are even available, much less what they are actually like, without a little experience. Summer camps, job-shadowing and career experiences can shed a little light into the void.
What Your Student Can Do Now
- Investigate summertime options now.
Many colleges and organizations offer summer camps ranging from theater and sports to engineering and robotics. College programs give high school students the opportunity to get a taste of living on a college campus with other students, while also possibly offering college credit. Costs, length of program and activities vary, so some research is necessary, and now is the best time to be doing so when program information is being released. Be sure to pay attention to registration deadlines. - Talk to the school counselor.
If your student is planning to earn college credit, the school counselor can provide information on how community college fees work for summer classes. It may also be worth a chat with an academic adviser at a local community college. - Consider career-related opportunities.
Job-shadowing and internship options for high school students may take a little work and time to locate and apply for. Start with programs funded by Future Ready Iowa or other economic and workforce development programs for ideas. Your student may also be interested in research, service or outdoor options offered by nationwide organizations that have an environmental or conservation focus.
What Your Student Can Do Later
- Make the most of the opportunity.
If your student is at camp or class on a college campus, whether close to or far from home, it’s an opportunity to decide whether or not the type of campus is appealing. The time will eventually come to make a decision as to where to apply, and your student should begin thinking about the benefits and disadvantages of campus size, location and facilities. - Keep an open mind.
Caution your student that a summer experience isn’t exactly what full-time students at a particular campus may see. Class offerings, number and types of students, teaching staff and weather may all be different during the regular academic year. - Build on lessons learned.
Your student should evaluate whether summer activities provided useful lessons on the desirability of a particular path or career. Then, consider the next step to continue to build on those experiences or explore in a different direction.
What You Can Do
- Provide ideas.
Be on the lookout for summer options that may set the foundation for classes and careers your student may consider for the future. This is a good opportunity for you and your student to learn what a specific job or major will actually entail day to day. - Bridge to resources.
If you know people in certain careers or fields your student is interested in, approach them about having your student contact them for job-shadowing or informational experiences. Brainstorm with your student ways to build needed skills and characteristics that may not be obvious. - Encourage exploration.
This is the time for your student to really explore the many varieties of jobs and courses of study available. If your student has indicated an interest in teaching, for example, summer classes and programs can help narrow down whether preschool or college education, or something in between, is most appealing.
Registration is still open through March 29 for a scholarship for Iowa high school students, not just seniors. The scholarship awards $1,000 College Savings Iowa deposits, which can be used when your student is ready to pay educational expenses. Register at www.IowaStudentLoan.org/ScholarshipSignUp.
Next Steps
Be sure to complete the survey questions at the end of this article to be entered into the 529 deposit giveaway!
Additional references, handouts and talking points are available in the right sidebar to use at your leisure. They may prove beneficial to reference now or after receiving future emails — we’ll leave it completely up to you. Use our emails like a recipe for a successful outcome — assemble the recommended ingredients and then follow accompanying directions to add flavor and depth.