Begin the summer before applications by reviewing your progress, researching colleges, preparing essays, and identifying unfinished work. Look at what you have completed and what remains before deciding how to use your time.
Take Stock of Your Preparation
Gather your GPA, test scores, coursework, and activity records. Review what you did in research, work, family responsibilities, and volunteer service, including the responsibilities you took on and what you learned. Transfer applicants should also review their completed coursework and upcoming plans in relation to their intended major.
Check Each College's Requirements
Verify application requirements, testing policies, and important dates for each college, and record supplemental essay prompts, the number of responses, and the expected workload in your college list. Past admissions data can inform your choices, but use official instructions for the year you apply to confirm requirements.
Leave Time to Revise Your Essays
For first-year applicants, the summer goal is to bring essays close to completion, leaving room for further rounds of revision. Review your experiences, choose a topic and focus, then draft and revise. Transfer applicants can begin thinking about UC personal insight questions (PIQs), record possible material and reflections, and schedule later writing around coursework and application timing. Allowing time for revision does not mean you must complete a fixed number of drafts.
Review Unfinished Tasks
Consider whether you need to retake a test and whether your activities have produced work or results you can summarize. If a target college requires recommendations, speak with teachers ahead of time and prepare a list of your experiences and accomplishments. Before adding an activity, consider how much time you can give it and how you will participate, so you avoid assembling experiences at the last minute. Plan summer preparation alongside the courses, tests, and application tasks that follow.