Make This Summer Count!

We at the LSF hope that everyone had a great July 4^th! Since summer is now in full swing, we want to explore constructive ways for our students to spend their summer to increase their opportunities for higher education and professional development.  This, after all, is the LSF’s mission!  We conducted an interview with Ms. Ashley Memory, Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at a top university, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for advice. Ms. Memory was more than happy to share her insights to help LSF students!

First and foremost, Ms. Memory encourages students to “use summers to pursue activities of great interest to them, whether it is music, sports, or reading and writing.”  Students should “think about what they learned throughout the academic year and think about how the knowledge they gained will help them grow emotionally and socially.”

Ms. Memory also recognizes that how students use their time is up to them. Some students need to work, while some volunteer.  Whatever the case may be, students should use the summer to accomplish their own goals.  Ms. Memory says “summers are so precious, and applicants work so hard during the school year; summer provides a great opportunity to rest, but students should also give some time to grow outside of classroom.”

I was pleasantly surprised by Ms. Memory’s standpoint on the impact of summer activities on college admissions.  Although there are many, many camps out there, Ms. Memory notes that not all students have access to such programs, and fortunately, “participation would not advantage them in terms of admission” to excellent universities like UNC. 

Ms. Memory says “There is not one particular activity we [college admissions staffs] look at. We get some very strong applicants that continue to amaze and surprise us with what they do.”  Ms. Memory gives me hope when she suggests “Students shouldn’t be afraid to pursue a passion instead of trying to not be true to themselves” in order to seem like the “perfect” candidate.  

Ms. Memory is right: you shouldn’t only do something because of how you will be perceived.  Sometimes choosing an activity just to make yourself “look good” can actually make you look bad, because maybe it just doesn’t suit you.  If you are Student Body President, that’s really great! But if you would gain more from programming computers, writing poetry, playing sports, or serving at an animal shelter, then do that instead!

We gained several insights from Ms. Memory’s comments.  For one, students should play to their own strengths, not anybody else’s.  Each individual has a unique personality, goals, passions, and talents.  How boring the world would be if we were all the same!  We are real people, not action figures, and college admissions staffs recognize that!  Also, it isn’t always what you do that matters, but how you do it, and the impact it has on you. 

Ms. Memory concludes “students travel many roads, and some students stand out for different reasons.”  Students should strive for “academic excellence above all else,” and “beyond that, excellence in other areas, citizenship and character.”  She says what matters most is “intellect, talent, curiosity, kindness.” So students, our advice for you this summer is to do whatever it takes to engage those characteristics in yourselves.

We would like to thank Ms. Memory for her time and contribution to this blog post. UNC Chapel Hill is committed to diversity; Ms. Memory told us that students of color make up 30% of this past year's freshman class, and the Latino student population has been growing steadily over the years. Please click here to learn more about UNC admissions! 
                                      

¡Hasta luego, LSF family!