We hope you are having a great February. Spring has not arrived yet, however, parents are already planning for the summer. Why? Because many summer deadlines are rapidly approaching. So, how should you plan your summer? More importantly, how should you plan a fun, enjoyable, yet strategic summer? Having the right summer game plan can maximize your college planning success and give you an edge in the college admissions process, so it’s important to think strategically.

Here are five ways to make the most of your summer…

Planning and preparing for college admissions is one thing; however, paying for college is entirely different. Unfortunately, many families only focus on how to get into college, not how to pay for it. What is important for families to understand is that there are very real and serious consequences of student debt. Understanding how to pay for college is crucial because it allows families to offset the sometimes exorbitant cost of college.

School is about more than just following an academic curriculum to fulfill graduation requirements. It’s also about seeing your school as an all-encompassing learning environment that has the potential to teach you more than what you can learn inside the classroom. In fact, what you learn outside the classroom can be just as important, if not more important, than what you learn inside the classroom. This is because many important character-building skills that are learned outside the classroom are directly applicable to succeeding in life.