Distinctive

By Nora Lessersohn 

Along with classes, sports seasons, academic competitions, and recitals, we know that summer programs are already starting to be cancelled. If this applies to you, you are probably thinking 1) Uh Oh! 2) What should I do this summer instead?

While our current global crisis is extremely challenging for many, it can be an opportunity to get creative and think outside the box. As one Department Chair at Yale recently wrote, “Disaster requires acts of imagination.”

The following are some ideas about how you can use your time this summer to learn, grow, and still demonstrate your skills and accomplishments to colleges!

• If you had lined up a summer internship or shadowing opportunity that you can no longer attend in person, see if your host is willing to formulate an online version of the activity. Could you attend online team meetings, help teach online classes, or develop a social media initiative? What about working on a research project that you could present via Zoom? 
• If your cancelled program or internship can’t move online, consider registering for online courses. You should definitely search Google, but here are some links to get you started:
  • Cornell School of Continuing Education – Online Courses for High School Students
  • George Washington University – Online Courses for Summer 2020
  • American University – Online Courses for Summer 2020
  • University of Berkeley – Summer Online Classes
  • Georgetown – Online Courses

• If a graded course seems too intense for you, check out a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) through Coursera or EdX. There are thousands of classes fitting every interest! Or, you can learn a new language through online tutor platforms like italki.
• Develop a Research Project to submit to a school-year competition or for publication. Maybe all the news about COVID-19 has inspired you to learn more about epidemiology, psychology, public health, or economics!
• Serve your community. It may sound counterintuitive, but you can still do this from home: call residents in elderly facilities, create masks out of old clothes for doctors, or start fundraisers for the most vulnerable members of your town or city,
• Ask your parents to advertise your abilities on local list-serves. Maybe someone will want you to tutor them in a foreign language, or make use of your robotics skills! 
• With more time to reflect, perhaps there is something you want to write for an audience. Have you learned something outside of school that you would not have learned if you were in class? Has thinking about your world and community in new ways given you ideas about how we can do better in the future? If you feel yourself brimming with thoughts, try writing Medium posts and start developing your voice as a commentator or public intellectual! 
• Amidst this crisis, we are seeing an outpouring of online content — from exercise classes to pub trivia! Musicians are offering free concerts, and friends are reading stories via FaceTime to the children of tired parents. Maybe you can develop an online company or program to help others during this time — and beyond! 
• If you love TV — or at least if you’re watching a lot of it — try writing episode recaps and reviews, like a professional! For inspiration, check out our favorite critic, Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone. If you haven’t watched already, The Good Place on NBC even tackles issues of moral philosophy, ethics, and the meaning of life (sounds like good prep for Columbia’s core curriculum!).
• Create educational TikToks about your favorite topic or subject, or develop an Instagram account like Humans of New York. Maybe you can flex your artistic muscles by taking artsy photos of your family or directing poignant videos to share with your friends (and colleges). Many businesses, artists, and initiatives run largely through Instagram these days, so your summer project may actually be the start of something big!
• You may have heard, there are very important elections coming up in November! What can you do to help your candidate from home? Can you make calls or help social media efforts? I volunteered for a local political campaign before my sophomore year of high school, and it was one of my best summer experiences. While you may not be able to go to headquarters this summer, reach out to campaign reps and see what you can do from your living room!
• As always, read books, especially novels! I may be shouting into the void, but reading novels is good for your college applications, and your brain! Here are some books we recommend: 
  • Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan series, starting with My Brilliant Friend. Once you finish the first one, you can watch the HBO adaptation of the novel!
  • Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime (our students love it).
  • Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give. You can check out the 2018 movie, too. 
  • A rec from my brother (who works for MLB): Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding: A Novel.
  • Tara Westover’s Educated. It’s a book club favorite for a reason (I couldn’t put it down).
• Learn how to code through Udacity or CodeAcademy. You can then create that website, video game, online business, or app that you’ve always dreamed of. The great thing about coding is that it applies to basically any field that interests you, so focus on what you love and put it online!
• Learn how to cook, or take your cooking skills to the next level. If you get into it, see if you can parlay your dishes, recipes, or experience into: 
  • An Instagram account. Maybe you can create stories of you prepping dinner, post photos of your finished products, or record an Instagram Live cooking class.
  • A video series of meal prep (with a fun soundtrack).
  • A Medium post series of your recipes and kitchen tips!
• Develop your recording skills. Maybe this means learning how to conduct oral history research and interviewing your older family members about their lives before you were born. You could also help the New York Public Library fix computer-generated transcripts from their Community Oral History Project. Or, you can record a podcast series about your favorite topic of discussion: Sports? Chemistry? Middle East History? Artificial Intelligence? You can use your phone to record a conversation in the same room, or you can use Skype to record your chat if your guest is far away!
• As always, be mindful of your mental health. This unprecedented time can lead to feelings like loneliness, heightened anxiety, and depression. Need someone to talk to? Check out 7 Cups of Tea, or reach out to someone you trust. If you feel like you have what it takes to provide support to others, get trained as a volunteer listener at 7 Cups of Tea. 

In the weeks and months to come, we are happy to help you brainstorm on an individual basis. We love any opportunity to use our imaginations, and this summer may well give you the opportunity to learn how to do that like a pro, too!

And don’t forget, if you’re looking for something to do, you can always help your parents: wash dishes, watch your siblings, and make sure to say thank you!