So your jump shot could use some work, your lemonade stand failed to crack the Fortune 500, and your viola skills fall just short of maestro. With today's admissions standards going into competitive overdrive, it's a given that you're going to need an extracurricular edge to get into top schools. But is it possible to gain that all-important admissions edge just by extending your school year to, well, a year?

Well, you're certainly not going to jump ahead of the others by going to the beach, that's for sure.

The past few years have seen a major change in the concept of "summer school" as a remedial necessity, with hundreds of colleges and universities conducting summer academic-enrichment programs for average and above-average students looking to take their studies beyond the regular high school year voluntarily. With over 1,700 schools such as Harvard, Wellesley, and UCLA offering these summer academic enrichment and pre-college camps to high school students, it could be only a matter of time until going to summer school becomes as commonplace on an application as calculus.

While it may seem unfair that today's youth might not be able to get away with a sun-soaked, carefree summer as easily as their parents and older siblings, these programs offer more than just an additional month or two of sitting in a classroom. Since the majority of summer camps are run through a college or university, they offer students a chance to test the various aspects of schools they could potentially attend, such as the administration, resources, atmosphere, and geographic location. This try-before-you-buy characteristic works well for rural and urban students considering a school in a different setting, and it can be very beneficial to students with fair to average grades: The time spent under a college's academic umbrella can demonstrate that a student is able to flourish within a college environment.

This isn't to say that attending a college or university's summer program will necessarily give you a leg up on admission to the school. Admissions counselors are very clear in stating that while summer school does look good on an application, having taken classes under the school's enrichment program is not the same as having taken undergraduate courses at the college. In fact, with the exception of Harvard, most summer classes are taught by instructors from around the country, so it's far more practical to attend an academic summer school at a local college or university than to travel just for name recognition. Still, the mix of teachers usually works out in a student's favor, since it gives each student a chance to work closely with professors from a variety of schools. This could translate into a sweet recommendation letter when application time comes around.

Another type of summer camp available to students is the college admissions program, which has a shorter, less expensive curriculum designed to prepare them for the application process. These preparatory programs are relatively new and offer courses in interviewing, essay writing, SAT/PSAT prep, as well as helping you narrow down your search. The "schools" often involve tours of dozens of campuses around the country, and while they're not looked upon as favorably from an admissions standpoint, they are incredibly useful for students who are unsure of how to go about the application process or what they should be looking for in a college.

This isn't to say that summer school is the new AP class. Not all families have the money for summer classes, which can get quite expensive. There's still the good old-fashioned summer alternative and parental favorite—a summer job. While academic courses really beef up an application, schools are not necessarily looking for well-rounded students. They're looking for a well-rounded student body, which means that any sort of hobby or interest that you can cultivate in a constructive way during the summer or summers (tanning doesn't count) is a big plus.

Internships are excellent ways to flesh out your resume (even throughout your college years), as is volunteer work. Even a simple day job such as lifeguarding or giving guided tours shows a work ethic, which is a pretty coveted admissions standard. If travel is your thing, there are plenty of opportunities to spend the summer abroad and work on a new language, and sometimes even volunteer. Just make sure you stay for a somewhat lengthy period of time; shorter jaunts around the globe don't have as much of an impact on counselors.

The main thing to remember is that what you do with your summers shows that you have a passion for something, whether it be academics or more practical, real-world experience. If your application doesn't explicitly say what you've been up to for the past couple of summers, it's almost guaranteed that you'll be asked in your interview. Even if you do have an alibi, you should be sure to have good reasoning to back it up; there's no sense in spending an extra two to eight weeks in the classroom if your motivation is "because I thought it would look good on my application," or worse, "I burn easily." You should enjoy your summer classes for what they are—an option to better yourself instead of just lazing about.