<p>Hey Achat, are you a cricket fan?</p>
<p>oh yes, soooo happy......</p>
<p>I'm encouraging my son to do a summer program. Not to help him get into the college of his dreams, but rather to help him figure out what might be the college of his dreams... or what college he might even slightly prefer over another!
My 16 yr. old would be very happy to just go backpacking with his friends, hang out, work a few hours a week, and perhaps tag along with us on a family trip. There's nothing wrong with that, except that's what he's done every summer. My son often needs a subtle push to try something really new. I'd love for him to go out of state, or maybe out of the country, to have an opportunity to really stretch himself.
He loves his life and brings great joy to all who know him, but adventuresome...not so much. ;)</p>
<p>BHG, not a cricket fan. Sorry to offend anyone, I find it boring now. My mom is a HUGE fan, though. She lives to watch the Indian team win over any other team.</p>
<p>My oldest refused to consider TIP but did do a few other short camps, driver's ed, a little volunteer stuff, working a little, and mostly teaching himself different programming languages. Youngest begged to go to TIP, took academic stuff and loved it both summers. He's applied to Gov. school and one other program, but if he doesn't get in he wants to go to TIP again. And he really needs driver's ed. </p>
<p>They both enjoy just hanging out too.</p>
<p>burlmom, my son was like yours in that he wasn't interested in any summer academic programs. He considered summer to be his "down time". During the summer between 9th and 10th he did very little that was structured</p>
<p>He did some odd jobs and began to learn how to earn money. The next summer he actually got a job at a farmer's market -he handled maintenance. The summer between 11th and 12th was when he took an internship at an art museum (as his interest were more clearly defined). This summer he is hoping to work for an ecotourism resort in the caribbean....Maho Bay. </p>
<p>None of this was anyting that I had to pay for and until summer after 11th grade none of it was particularly impressive. But, he learned a solid work ethic and has tried different things. </p>
<p>Don't worry about making it too fancy or impressive - just tell him he has to do something with his time. Simply sitting around isn't cool.</p>
<p>My daughter was very eager to spend time at the school where she planned to apply early decision. They offered a fantastic summer program in a field she was interested in. Admission to the program was somewhat competitive, so it provided an excellent practice run for the application process. </p>
<p>The program itself was strenuous and extremely rewarding, but she also learned a lot about the school, which cemented her decision to apply early. Attending the program answered some general questions about how it really felt to be there. It also answered many small ones, which are nice to have out the way, now that she's accepted and planning her move. Her cell phone has coverage, the food isn't quite as bad as it's made out to be, and certain dorms are more interesting that others - little things like that.</p>
<p>In addition, she was able to meet with an admissions counselor about some questions she had.</p>
<p>Spending a month or more at that special school for a summer program is a good way to find out if it seems so special up close and personal.</p>
<p>I'll echo what several others have already posted. As an interviewer, I can tell you that I do ask about how a student has spent his/her summers. However, we are looking for a student to have done anything worthwhile, as opposed to simply hanging out with friends. A summer job looks as good as a summer program. Volunteering or travel is also worthwhile. An interest like Carolyn's D has such as horseback riding is still doing something. Counselor at camp...good. Sometimes a kid uses his/her summer to pursue an EC interest or an academic interest. It does not really matter other than that the kid is using the summer to do things he wants to do that have some worthwhile reason or substance. </p>
<p>Until I read the CC forums, I did not realize how many kids did all these academic summer programs. I have nothing against them. For some kids, this is something they really want to do....either pursue a subject they don't have at home, be with other gifted kids, try out a college atmosphere, whatever. My own kids never considered academic programs in summer because they feel they do academics all year and here is a chance to do other things. While they did the CTY Talent Search, they never considered the summer programs for it. I think sometimes on CC, I see kids (sometimes parents as well) who think kids NEED to take summer academic programs for college admission....definitely NOT true. If a kid wants to for a specific reason, that's cool, but it is not necessary at all. </p>
<p>I know the question that was posed also asked what summer things did we encourage our kids to do....and like NeDad, we never encouraged our kids to make certain summer choices and in fact, they begged US to let them do what they chose to do. </p>
<p>As well, my kids' summers were never chosen with college admissions in mind. Never contemplated that relationship. Some of their summer choices were chosen when quite young in fact and they went back yearly. When looking into a particular summer opportunity prior to senior year, my daughter and I talked to the director to ask more about it and one thing he mentioned was how this program would look "good" to colleges and I was taken back because the thought had never entered my mind but I realized that many of his clientele lived in competitive areas where people, I guess, do think about that kind of reason to pick a summer program. I have no idea how it looked to colleges and don't care because it was something she just really wanted to do. </p>
<p>Of course I went to college back in the dark ages, but it was a selective school, and I spent ten summers growing up at an 8 week summer camp in the Poconos. My summer before college was as a counselor there. The summer before senior year, I was not at camp but went on a teen group trip to Europe. I have no idea how any of that would look today for college but I loved my summer camp and never considered doing anything else. It took up the entire summer. </p>
<p>My oldest child, currently a college freshman, when younger did local summer programs (I was like the camp director schlepping them to these various local things)...horseback riding, a four week performing arts program, swim lessons, tennis lessons, one week overnight dryland ski training camps in our state, etc. When age 10, she and her sister went to a two week overnight camp in combination with the above. Starting at age 11, she wanted to go to a performing arts overnight camp in another state. We thought we'd send them for three weeks in combo with the local things the rest of summer but both begged to be allowed to go for six weeks so we did. This child went four summers for six weeks to this performing arts camp and loved it. She would have gone back but she counted how many summers she had left "growing up" and said there were two more things she wanted to do and could give up the camp so she could do them. So summer before junior year, she went on a six week cross country teen trip, that involved some camping as part of it, seeing the western US, western Canada, and Hawaii. She loves travel and did not know anyone ahead of time. Then the summer before senior year, she wanted to travel in Europe and researched various options and came across a travel program that also involved playing competitive tennis in tournaments across Europe with other teens. She is a varsity tennis player at home. So, she did that and loved it. But she had some time when she returned as it was only a month and so she lined up an internship with an architect because she wanted to explore that field some more as it is one she is contemplating majoring in in college. She loved that too. Plus we went on a family vacation at the end of summer. The summer prior to college, was the first one in seven years when she had to stay home and work but she really enjoyed that too...she was a counselor at a childrens' program at a tennis resort and a waitress at a local restaurant. I have no clue how any of these things looked for college because she did what she wanted to do in summers. </p>
<p>Now, she is in college and obviously what she does in summers has no impact on any admissions process but just like in the past, she is making choices based on what she wants to do. In fact, like in high school, she has counted up how many summers she has and she has a list of things she would like to do so has this "overall plan" and has plugged some into this coming summer. Her plans for this summer are to drive a car to Alaska (my brother lives there and she would be delivering this car, that belonged to my father who died, to her cousin who is 16, who my dad left it to) with two close friends from home with whom she grew up and then likely spending a week in Alaska when they get there and then fly home in time for her sister's high school graduation which she does not want to miss. Then she wants to go to a summer architecture program at Harvard Design School, which is aimed at people who want to explore that career before committing to it. Then she will come home for a month and has lined up the counselor job at the local tennis resort, so she can earn money to help pay for this stuff. </p>
<p>Younger daughter also did an array of local summer things when younger. At age 8, she did the two week overnight camp in another state but the next summer begged to go six weeks to a summer theater camp out of state. We let our kids choose and in fact, each chose a different performing arts camp and people thought we were nuts to not have them at the same one but each chose the one that fit their own needs best and for four summers, they were at different ones, an hour from one another which also meant insane parent performance weekends, shuttling between each of their shows. This child,still goes to this program. While she is graduating this June at 16, she begged for a chance to go back one last time, her 8th summer. She usually goes six weeks (one summer went nine) but will go for three and then try to work the rest of summer....have not pieced that together yet....has an offer to be in a professional show locally, not sure she is taking it, may try to start and run a summer theatrical program for local kids. While I never knew when she chose that theater camp at age nine that she would go for 8 years, or that eventually this would be her college major and career focus, it did turn out that way. While it had been an EC interest, it grew and grew and so I guess one could say it relates to her college programs but that was never the original intent when she started at the theater camp at age 9. </p>
<p>I think kids should choose what they want to do for summer and within the means of what is affordable. It could mean work, whatever. The idea is to do something worthwhile that you want to do. I cannot imagine making my kids do a particular thing in summer or choosing with college admissions in mind. Colleges want to know you did SOMETHING with your summers and for a reason or perhaps an interest. If you were caring for an ailing grandparent, that would look worthwhile too. I would not get caught up with thinking your kid HAD to do a summer academic program at all. I know my kid got in with no academics in summer, and plenty of others did too. </p>
<p>Susan</p>