Take charge of something..the volunteer idea above was great…see if you can head something up in your community. Travel is always great however lots of “rich kids” travel and that’s who’d you be competing against…you need to differentiate yourself in other ways like making a big difference. By getting yourself in the local newspapers etc for your efforts you’ll be able to make a fantastic portfolio for submission. I was accepted to great schools and the portfolio was the name of the game.

As you said, top universities get loads of applications every year from students who did summer foreign exchange programs. What the admissions officers think about the activity is less important than what you get out of it, and are subsequently able to communicate in your interview and essays. If you want the experience for your own sake, go for it, but it won’t hurt your chances if you end up writing about your decision to work full time over the summer and save your money for school instead. The only genuinely wrong decision you can make is if you sit around the house and watch TV all day.

It won’t be so much that you went to Spain but what you got out of it. I worked at a library and volunteered during my high school summers. I worked during my college summers. This is my last summer before college graduation but instead of working I’m writing my undergraduate honors thesis. That’s not really something you can do until college though. Volunteering and being part of academic/learning activities never hurt your application.

Hello,

Just put it on ur resume it will prove to them how much u are wanting this. also pray that helps.

you could work for non profit charities and tutor underprivileged students in sat prep