Do colleges really care about what I do over the summer?

Yes, they do—but not in the way you might think. Colleges aren’t expecting you to save the world over the summer, but they are interested in how you use your free time. Did you challenge yourself? Learn something new? Take initiative? Whether you’re attending a summer program, working a part-time job, volunteering, or even teaching yourself coding from YouTube, what matters is that you’re doing something intentional. It shows maturity, curiosity, and motivation. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars or attend a big-name program. Just be thoughtful about how you spend your summer—and make sure it reflects who you are and what you care about.