Summer is a great time for experiential learning. Whether it’s a homestay with a Spanish family, an ecological adventure or a visit to a camp where robots are built, students can find a way to explore their interests.

There are several programs that might appeal to students interested in the environment.

Columbia University’s Biosphere 2 Center in Arizona offers four-week environmental and evolutionary science programs that take students into the Grand Canyon to study an impact crater and dormant volcano.

The Environmental Studies Summer Youth Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges has a two-week program that includes research on a boat on Seneca Lake, as well as camping in the Adirondack Mountains.

While these programs can be fun and educational, some students need to earn money over the summer. Having a job can help students learn how to work with people, prioritize tasks and manage time. Earning a paycheck can also provide a self-esteem boost.

I know a top student who loves working in a food co-op because it’s a contrast to the academic pressure she feels in school. When a customer praises a dish she’s made, she’s more thrilled than when she earned an "A" in biology.

Summer jobs can also offer opportunities to explore career interests. If a student wants to be a veterinarian, a job at an animal hospital or shelter is an excellent way to explore the day-to-day operations of a vet’s office.

Working as a camp counselor is great for students who may be interested in teaching or psychology.

If earning money is not a priority, volunteering is a way for students to pursue causes they believe in, and feel good about making a contribution.

Landmark Volunteers offers two-week summer service programs. Students choose from dozens of projects, where they’ll engage in mostly manual labor.

Projects include improving trails in a national park, maintaining grounds and painting buildings at a music festival or at a camp for disabled children and adults, working on a boundary fence at a wildlife refuge and creating a theater on the Crow Indian Reservation.

For a student who’s interested in politics, election year is a great time to get involved.

In addition to volunteering for their candidate, students can participate in the National Election Symposia at the Republican and Democratic nominating conventions.

This program is sponsored by the Junior Statesmen Foundation, which also oversees summer schools with three to four week AP level classes in U.S. government and politics, constitutional law, foreign policy, and related topics. Sessions are at Georgetown, Princeton, Yale, Stanford and Northwestern.

Students can create their own summer programs. A prospective science major might contact professors at local colleges who are doing interesting research to see if extra help is needed in the lab over the summer. This can be a way for a student to check out if microbiology is really where she’s headed, and if things go well, there’s the possibility she can earn a recommendation letter.

The idea here is to do something other than spend the entire summer playing video games. Now, if a student wants to learn to design video games, that’s a worthwhile endeavor. Digipen in Seattle offers two-week workshops in video game development and 3D animation.

Whatever summer activities a student chooses, it’s helpful to keep a journal about the experience. The material can be valuable when it’s time to write essays for college applications.

There’s no right summer activity that will help students get into college. While structured activities like courses and jobs can be valuable, students have such busy lives during the school year that they also need some time to just relax.

Without the stress of daily school, homework and extracurricular activities, students can take time to look inward and think about what they want to do with their lives. Students who pursue their passions have the best chance of success in college and beyond.

If you have questions, send them via e-mail to newstip@ theacorn.com or mail them to 30423 Canwood St., Ste. 108, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, Attention: College Corner. I’ll answer as many as possible in future columns.

Audrey Kahane, MS, is a college admissions counselor in West Hills. She can be reached at (818) 704-7545 or via the Internet at audreykahane@ earthlink.net.