Your Teen’s Most Important College Move Takes Place This Month

And here’s the truth that most families know, but find it difficult to face.  

Summer arrives faster than anyone expects.

The school year accelerates after January—midterms, sports, AP prep, finals—then suddenly it’s May, programs are full, opportunities are gone, and students are left choosing between “nothing” and “nothing good.”

That’s why the families who treat December as “Summer Planning Season” are the ones whose teens thrive in July.

And for the record, “Couch” is not an activity.

Colleges don’t care about perfection, prestige, or a brand-name program you discovered at the last minute. They want to see what students do with their unstructured time. Initiative. Curiosity. A willingness to engage with the world — not just let Netflix autoplay for three months.
And the students who end up with the MOST meaningful, confidence-building summers? They’re the ones who begin thinking about it right now.


Why Summer Matters More Than People Realize
During the school year, students’ time is scripted: bells, classes, practices, rehearsals, homework.
But summer is the one stretch where teens answer a bigger question:

“What do I choose to do when I finally have the freedom to choose?”

Admissions officers do notice that answer — not because they want résumé padding, but because summer experiences reveal independence, initiative, and maturity. Year after year, I’ve watched summer become the moment where students discover new interests, strengthen their confidence, or find a spark they didn’t have in May.

But here’s the kicker:
Those transformations rarely happen by accident.
They happen because planning started before the New Year.

The Myth: “We’ll figure it out after the holidays.”
I hear this every December.
And I get it — holiday energy is all-consuming.
But this mindset leads to a predictable outcome:

Families treat summer like spring break.

They don’t realize they’re supposed to treat it like college admissions.
By February or March:

• Competitive programs are full
• Affordable options disappear
• Local camps have closed volunteer registrations
• Internship supervisors already committed their spots
• Early-bird rates are long gone
• Students who started in fall have claimed the most interesting opportunities

And when options shrink, two things rise:
stress and the likelihood of a summer spent on the couch.


What Students Should Be Doing Now
Early planning doesn’t require locking anything in. It starts with one simple question:

“What do you want to explore, try, or build this summer?”

Not “What looks good for college?”

Not “What will impress an admissions office?”

Those are the wrong starting points.

Colleges don’t reward artificial résumés. They reward authenticity, consistency, and real effort. They care far more about how you talk about your experience than the fancy name attached to it.

Some of the best summer choices are simple and accessible:

• A real job (colleges LOVE work experience)
• A structured volunteer commitment
• A dual-enrollment or community college course
• Research with a teacher or professor
• Improving in a sport
• A creative or entrepreneurial project
• Diving deeper into a personal passion

None of these require a plane ticket or a five-figure fee.
They require curiosity — and early action.


Why I Push This So Hard
After almost twenty years guiding families through this process, I can say this confidently:

A student’s summer often defines their fall.

A purposeful summer builds:

• confidence
• independence
• clarity
• momentum

And that momentum leads to stronger essays, stronger applications, and a less stressful junior or senior year.
​​
Parents often tell me the same thing:

“I didn’t realize how much stress we could avoid by planning early.”

Students who feel purposeful in July walk into September with a clear sense of who they are. That clarity is priceless.

Final Takeaway: It’s Time for “Summer in December.”
We’re past Thanksgiving but not yet in full holiday chaos. This is the sweet spot — late enough to breathe, early enough to plan. Because once January hits, opportunities start disappearing fast.

So take an hour. Have the conversation. Explore some options.

Just today I learned about an upcoming National Pre-College & Summer Program Fair, with events nationwide — including one on Sunday, February 1 in Miami. I skimmed the exhibitor list: the opportunities are phenomenal.

If you’d like help making sense of summer options or connecting this conversation to the larger college planning picture, let’s talk. This is exactly what we do.

You’ve heard of ‘Christmas in July’; it’s time to do ‘Summer in December. ‘Give me a call or send an email and we’ll set up a time to chat.

P.S. I didn’t mention the importance of reading over the summer – as in books, novels, nonfiction, etc. I’ll cover that in a later post.