What Students in Newport Beach Can Do THIS Summer to Impress Colleges

Summer feels long until it isn't. By the time application season arrives, students who used their summers well have something important that students who didn't are scrambling to find: a story worth telling.

Here's the thing colleges are actually looking for. Not a perfect resume. Not a list of impressive-sounding activities. They want to see initiative, genuine interest, and evidence that you did something meaningful with your time. The good news is that meaningful looks a lot of different ways.

Here are three categories of summer activities worth considering, all of them relevant, all of them accessible to students right here in Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, and the surrounding communities.

Academic and Skill Building

Taking a class over the summer is one of the most straightforward ways to show intellectual curiosity and get ahead at the same time.

Community colleges like Irvine Valley College, Coastline Community College, and Golden West College offer summer courses that are affordable, UC-transferable, and open to high school students. A class in psychology, philosophy, or a subject related to your intended major signals genuine interest beyond what your high school requires and gives you something compelling to talk about in your application.

Online options work just as well. If you want to explore a subject your school does not offer or get ahead in an area of interest, platforms like UC Scout and APEX Online make this easier than ever. Psychology and philosophy in particular are subjects that translate beautifully into personal statement topics. They tend to spark the kind of self-reflection that makes for a genuinely compelling essay. UC Scout and APEX Online also offer Spanish and math courses, making them a great option for students who want to strengthen a language or fill a gap in their math sequence before the school year begins.

If you are planning to learn or strengthen a foreign language, summer is the perfect time to make real progress without the pressure of a full course load.

Entrepreneurial and Work Experience

Colleges love students who create something. And you do not need a tech startup or a nonprofit to impress an admissions reader. Some of the most compelling activity descriptions I have seen came from students who identified a need in their neighborhood and did something about it.

Consider starting a small service business this summer. Car detailing, dog washing, pressure washing driveways and fences, or even running a summer camp for neighborhood kids are all legitimate entrepreneurial ventures that require real skills: marketing, customer service, scheduling, and managing money.

If you go this route, document everything. Track your hours, your earnings, and what you learned. And market yourself. A simple Instagram account or a post on Nextdoor can turn a side project into something that actually generates business and makes for a genuinely impressive activity entry.

A traditional job works too. Retail, food service, lifeguarding, or working at a local business teaches responsibility and time management in ways that look great on an application and build real skills.

Community Service

Volunteering matters most when it is consistent and meaningful. A single afternoon at a food bank is kind, but it does not move the needle on an application. What colleges want to see is sustained commitment to something beyond yourself.

There are wonderful organizations right in our community worth considering. Priceless Pets in Costa Mesa is always looking for volunteers to help with animal care, adoption events, and kenneling. Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa serves thousands of meals and relies on volunteers throughout the week. The Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach offers hands-on conservation work and environmental education programs that are a natural fit for students interested in science, sustainability, or the outdoors.



If you are already volunteering somewhere, summer is the time to deepen that commitment. Take on more hours, ask about a leadership role, or start a small initiative within the organization.

A Final Thought

The students who stand out in the application process are not the ones who did the most things. They are the ones who can tell a genuine story about how they spent their time. Ideally that story includes academics, real world experience, and service to others. A summer that hits all three gives you material for your activities section, your essays, and your interviews, and more importantly, it gives you experiences that actually matter.

If you have questions about how your summer plans fit into your overall application strategy, I would love to help. Reach out at newschoolcollegecounseling.com or find me on Instagram at @newschoolcollegecounseling.