Taking pre-calculus over the summer—good move for college readiness?

I've heard mixed things about summer courses. I have an opportunity to take pre-calculus during the summer at a local community college and was wondering if this would show colleges that I'm serious about my education, or if it's better to get involved with internships or research instead?

Taking a pre-calculus course over the summer can absolutely demonstrate your commitment to academic rigor to colleges, especially if you're interested in a STEM field where a strong math foundation is important. It's also a great way to prepare yourself for the challenges of calculus during the school year.

That being said, internships and research obviously have their own benefits too, like hands-on experience in your areas of interest and the opportunity to start feeling out potential career paths. If you can balance your time, participating in an internship or research opportunity in addition to taking the course would provide the most well-rounded summer experience. Especially if you're considering highly selective schools, showing that you can push yourself in a variety of ways will do the most for helping your application stand out.

However, obviously there are only so many hours in the day, and you also want to have time over the summer to recharge before diving back into the chaos of regular high school life. If you think you can only realistically do either the course or an internship/research, that's completely okay—as you decide, it might be helpful to seek guidance from a mentor or teacher in your preferred subject area to weigh the best option for your interests and goals. Good luck!