Critical Summer
09. The Critical Summers: Moving from Environmental Interest to Environmental Investigation
Nina, the summers after sophomore and junior year are where a student interested in environmental science can begin doing something that looks closer to real scientific work. During the school year, time is fragmented by classes and activities. Summer, by contrast, gives you long stretches of time that allow sustained observation, fieldwork, and reading—exactly the kind of work environmental scientists actually do.
The committee flagged an important shift for you to begin making: moving from general environmental engagement toward environmental investigation. That means using summer not just for volunteering or attending programs, but for collecting data, asking questions about ecosystems, and learning how environmental evidence is generated. Because you have not provided details about your current extracurricular activities or environmental projects, the goal of the next two summers is to create a structured research-style experience that you can develop over time.
Environmental science is especially well suited to this kind of work because meaningful research can begin locally. Colorado’s landscapes—forests, rivers, alpine ecosystems, and urban environments—offer many potential study contexts. You do not need access to a university laboratory to start asking real questions about environmental systems.
Designing a Sustained Field Research Project
One of the most valuable uses of your sophomore-to-junior summer is conducting consistent field data collection. Instead of a short-term project that lasts a week or two, aim for something that involves repeated measurements over time. Environmental data becomes much more meaningful when collected systematically across weeks or months.
If you have not yet started an environmental research project, consider using this summer to design and begin one. A strong project typically includes:
- A clearly defined environmental question. The question should be narrow enough that you can collect measurable data.
- Regular data collection. This might involve weekly observations, sampling, or measurements.
- A record of methods. Keep a notebook or digital log describing how and when you collect data.
- Basic analysis. Over time, you begin looking for patterns or relationships in the data.
Because you have not provided details about specific environmental interests within environmental science (for example ecology, climate systems, water science, conservation biology, etc.), your first step this summer may be exploring which environmental questions genuinely interest you. That exploration can guide the design of your fieldwork.
Admissions readers at schools like Middlebury, Colorado College, and the University of Colorado Boulder tend to notice when a student has engaged deeply with the natural environment over time rather than only participating in short-term activities. Sustained fieldwork—even if self-directed—signals curiosity, patience, and initiative.
Turning Data Into Something Shareable
Collecting environmental data becomes much more powerful when you eventually share the results. A second major goal for the summer is beginning to think about how your work might be communicated.
Possible outlets to explore include:
- Regional or school science fairs
- Youth research journals or student science publications
- Local conservation groups or environmental nonprofits
- Community presentations or environmental education events
You do not need to have publishable results immediately. The key step during this early stage is documenting your process carefully so that your work can eventually be shaped into a poster, report, or presentation.
If your project continues into junior year, that longer timeline can strengthen the eventual results. Environmental studies often benefit from multiple seasons of data collection, and colleges recognize the difference between a quick project and a sustained investigation.
Pair Fieldwork With Deeper Environmental Reading
Field data collection becomes much more meaningful when paired with reading and learning about how scientists study similar questions. Summer provides time to explore environmental science literature in a way that is difficult during the school year.
You do not need advanced technical papers to start. What matters is developing the habit of connecting your observations to broader scientific ideas. As you read, ask:
- How do scientists measure environmental change?
- What types of data do they collect?
- What methods do they use to analyze ecosystems?
If possible, consider asking a science teacher at your high school whether they can recommend books, articles, or introductory research papers related to environmental science. You might also explore whether any local universities, environmental organizations, or research groups host public lectures or student outreach programs.
The goal is not to become an expert immediately. Instead, the aim is to begin thinking like a scientist: observing patterns, asking questions, and connecting local observations to larger environmental systems.
Exploring Mentorship Opportunities
Another productive direction for summer is identifying potential mentors who can help guide your investigation. Because you have not provided information about connections to environmental organizations or researchers, this may be an area worth exploring.
Potential mentorship sources might include:
- A science teacher at your high school who is interested in supervising an independent project
- Local conservation organizations
- University environmental science departments that run outreach or youth programs
- Community science initiatives
A mentor does not need to manage your project closely. Even occasional feedback—such as helping refine your research question or suggesting data collection methods—can significantly strengthen the quality of your work.
This kind of guidance also helps bridge the gap between environmental enthusiasm and real scientific investigation.
Why This Matters for Your Target Colleges
Your target schools—Middlebury College, Colorado College, and the University of Colorado Boulder—all have strong environmental science cultures, but they emphasize slightly different aspects of the field.
What they share is an appreciation for students who demonstrate curiosity about the natural world and who actively engage with environmental questions. A sustained summer research effort helps show that your interest in environmental science goes beyond coursework.
More importantly, this experience will help you personally understand whether environmental investigation genuinely excites you. Discovering that through real work in the field is far more valuable than simply declaring an intended major.
Summer Action Calendar
| Month | Focus | Key Actions |
|---|---|---|
| May | Project Exploration |
|
| June | Project Setup |
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| July | Sustained Fieldwork |
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| August | Early Analysis & Next Steps |
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If you treat summer as the beginning of a longer investigation rather than a one-time project, you’ll enter junior year with a meaningful environmental research foundation already underway.