How to Make the Most of Your Winter Break
It may be hard to believe, but winter break is just around the corner! While we know most students are looking forward to taking some time to rest and relax, you may also be wondering how to maximize this time when it comes to the college process. If that’s you, read on!
Research colleges
We encourage all of our juniors to do the bulk of their college research over winter break. This allows them to get a head start on building their lists, and usually means they’ll have more time to look at schools than if they saved all of their trips for spring break. But even for sophomores and younger students looking to get a jump on the college process, winter break is a great time!
In addition to visiting schools in person (if possible), students can also use the break to complete virtual visits without using valuable homework or extracurricular time. If you are planning to do some visits over the break, jump back to our posts about in-person and virtual visits so you’re prepared and can make the most of your visits.
And don’t forget - if you’re traveling to see relatives for the holidays, you may as well swing by any school nearby, even if you aren’t able to schedule an official visit or don’t have any interest in that particular school in the first place! The more schools you visit, the more you’ll learn about your preferences… and can come back and share them with us! For example, maybe you thought you wanted an urban environment, but after walking through Emory while visiting Grandma in Atlanta, you realized you’re open to schools on the outskirts of cities after all!
I got to swing by Wash U last weekend while in St. Louis - yay! More on that in the weekly update, but it was super easy to just walk around. At one point we even tagged on to a tour group!
Do an enrichment activity
Many colleges offer summer programs and courses that allow students to take classes over the summer, but there are opportunities to do so in the winter as well. Cornell’s really fantastic pre-college program offers winter courses from January 3-21 - check those out! Students can also use the time to complete asynchronous, free courses through EdX or Coursera - check out our list of courses for some ideas!
This also may be a great time to complete a volunteer project or other independent work that will help you show colleges your skills and give you some experience in a field you may want to study! Polygence helps match students with university researchers to complete independent research projects, and students who sign up using our link receive 10% off their program (Note: DC College Counseling does not receive compensation from Polygence for referrals - all of the benefits here are just for students!).
Take some time to plan and reflect
For younger students in eighth or ninth grade, it may feel premature to complete college visits or work on applications. And ALL students could use some time to reflect and plan for their next steps. Check out our Four-Year Plan Template for some questions to consider every year, to help you plan for the college application process and beyond!
Search for summer internships
Summer may feel far away, but many opportunities and internships have deadlines as early as late January! Winter break is a great time to plan for these opportunities and fill out applications while you don’t have as much schoolwork on your plate.
If you are a student interested in STEM-related summer opportunities, check out our newly updated Summer Opportunities Database for 2022 (students who are interested in the humanities or business should keep checking back - those pages will be updated soon!).
And if you do identify a great summer opportunity and would like to apply, winter break is a great time to book a coaching session to work on your resume, cover letter, and application essays - whether you are working with us through a traditional package or not!