<p>I just perused the summer program titles... Phew. Am I crazy to want my DS15 to work at MacDonald's at home this summer? His BS is academically demanding, he wll be doing a AP heavy course load his junior year. He will do plenty of sports, volunteer and clubs at school. </p>
<p>What he is not great at is initiating contact and selling himself to adults. ie, he hardly bonds with teachers, even those who clearly want to mentor him more.... I think having to apply for jobs would get him to deal with adults better. He is great with peers and younger kids, was an excellent daycamp volunteer but didn't get recommended to be a paid counsellor because he avoided dealing with the parents... It would also be nice to have him home for a change. Last summer, he went to a UWC camp, loved it but he also would like to spend time with his friends and family this summer. </p>
<p>Just curious as to what other BS kids do during the summers? </p>
<p>My DD12 who goes to a private day school goes away to specific themed summer camps. I feel the experience of being away home is good for her, but my son doesn't need that....I know there are prestigious summer programs but between BS and college application looming around the corner, I don't want to care or pay! </p>
<p>Appreciate it if people share experiences! </p>
<p>My son worked at a retail store starting in the summer before his Senior year of high school. He still works there when he comes home on breaks from school (he is a Senior now.) This past summer he had a non paid internship 5 days a week and worked the part time job on weeknights and weekends. </p>
<p>He never did any special programs in the summer. Before he aged out he just went to a regular sleep away camp.</p>
<p>He was accepted at every school where he applied and attends a top 20 LAC. I think having a job - even if only at McDonalds, etc., is a positive thing. Imo, adcoms might even look at that more positively than a special program paid for by parents. </p>
<p>Would your son actually have a chance at the kind of job you envision?</p>
<p>Often, McDonalds and other restaurants and retailers are only interested in hiring kids who can work part-time year round, which boarding school kids cannot. So the only job options available may be at day camps and other summer programs, which actually need seasonal help. But those jobs can be hard to get, and they don’t offer the type of experience you want him to have anyway.</p>
<p>The summer after freshman year, our son did an internship with a local company that he found on internship.com. He did such a good job with that company that they gave him work the following summer as well. This past summer, he attended a one-week crew camp then worked every single day on planning and executing his Boy Scout Eagle project passing his board of review just one week before returning to BS. Personally, I prefer work to camps.</p>
<p>" work at MacDonald’s at home this summer"
-Good luck with this one. D. could not find a single dirtiest job position, applied to over 30 one summer, was complete waste of time. She quit looking, great that she had a job for 3 years at college during school year. She had to take summers easy. It has helped tremendously though. Believe it or not, even voluteering postions have huge wating lists in our city. She got few due to her persistant (very!!!) nature, but it took awhile to go thru the motion. Got to be a very dedicated “looker”.
The easiest thing is to obtain EVERYTHING at your college and do it during school year. </p>
<p>My DS worked summers in HS – as a camp counselor and in a retail job summer of senior year. It was a good experience for him. Working is different than school (or even camp) He learned a lot about dealing with bosses, customers, work rules, team dynamics. It did take a lot of pounding the pavement to find summer jobs – they are not as easy to secure as they once were. But I recommend the experience, it was definitely a positive for him. </p>
<p>Don’t have a BS kid, but agree that it is very challenging for 15 or 16 yos to find a summer job - especially if they can’t start looking until June and are not available after August. You may need a plan B - summer program experience for part of the summer, volunteer work, or camp counselor (put in the application soon). His best bet at a job would be through someone you know - as a clerk in a parent or friend’s office or an intern somewhere. Or a summer only job like life guard at the pool or at a tourist destination. Doing something is probably more important to getting a paying job at this point. </p>
<p>My kids did different things different summers. I personally think a job is a great thing for a high schooler to do if they can find work. Around here there are some businesses that definitely need extra bodies in the summer - ice cream shops, beach and golf clubs. My kids also spent some time volunteering at the senior center which was happy to find things for them to do. My older son helped out in the computer lab, my younger son taught an origami class and played a few violin concerts. They both helped serve lunch. Older son was able to do computer programming work the last couple of years of high school after having proved himself useful and knowledgeable after job shadowing the previous summer. Younger son did some work in my architectural office one summer.</p>
<p>If my kids went to boarding school, I’d very much want to have them home for the summer.</p>
<p>If he he happy working at a camp that is fine. It isn’t bad to for him to have a stress free summer after a rigorous academic year. And other than applying for the job (which he would have to do at the camp as well) I’m not sure how much meaningful interaction with adults he will have at a place like McDonalds (other than to ask if a person wants fries). Additionally fast food places are not very pleasant to work in and the hours are bad (nights, weekends especially for new employees). </p>
<p>My S worked at his old camp and my D worked at a place she did community service work for during the school year. My feeling was that as long as they were doing something constructive it was fine. </p>
<p>Junior year summer activity is important if your son has aspiration of applying to top tier schools. I would have him look into programs that are related to his ECs or academic interest. Good programs are not necessary paid programs, often they are competitive and free programs. My nephew who wanted to apply to Cornell’s Hotel school had to plan ahead to work at a hospitality industry the summer after junior year, or he would have been disqualified. My younger daughter applied to a competitive program within our state which was relevant to the major she wanted to pursue. This is no different with the junior summer internship in college. A lot of those internships lead to offers of permanent position after graduation. </p>
<p>OP - I would have your son look into programs/jobs that are relevant to what he wants to study or do in college this summer. By going to a summer program at his BS may not be worth it, but a research opportunity, language immersion program, volunteer work (home or away) maybe more meaningful. There is nothing wrong with working at a MacDonald (works is good), but he can do that any time. </p>
<p>My BS kids worked jobs in the summer doing barn work at a local riding stable and scooping ice cream at the local ice cream parlor. Working a real job has tremendous rewards, gives them a mental break from academics, and teaches them tremendous lessons about people, hard work and the real world. It did not hurt them in college applications. My BS kids had a slight advantage finding summer work since they got out of school a few weeks earlier than the local kids, and went back around the same time.</p>
<p>I agree with the OP. I think they learn far more in a summer job than they do in a summer program. There are so many businesses that hire seasonal workers. My kids worked at a sprinkler company, grocery store, candy store, car wash, and fast food. They never had a problem finding a job. They developed social skills, a work ethic and a strong desire to get better jobs when they grew up.</p>
<p>Both of my sons worked at a grocery store year 'round throughout high sch. They learned a LOT. Getting a taste of the real working world was very beneficial. S1 was even able to get a job at the same grocery chain in his college town. Made his own spending money throughout college. </p>
<p>Wow, reading this thread makes me think finding a summer job is the way to go! The people skills and street smarts are definitely worth it, as is exposure to a broader cross section of people than just BS kids and faculty.</p>
<p>My DD tried to define her professional /college interests (at the same age as your son)- just what sounds “cool” at the time. She then did an internet search of local universities (we live in a large metropolitan area) and companies to see if she could find anyone working in that field, and sent out emails inquiring about working as an intern. She did this over winter break. She handled the email communications over the next couple of months, and set up a couple of interviews over spring break. By a few days into spring break, she had secured an unpaid internship at a university research group, which she travelled to using a commuter bus (public transportation).</p>
<p>The group had several med student and grad student interns, so there was a “how to publish a paper” series of weekly meetings in addition to ‘Journal Club’ and actual research, data collection, and data analysis. She was the only person below graduate school standing, and was fully included in the team. It was a very good summer for her and for me, though she was constantly afraid (not a major worry, just a niggling back-of-the-mind worry) that she would be outed for her age (like someone suggesting that they all drive and meet somewhere, or go as a group after work somewhere for drinks- she never had a problem in actuality).</p>
<p>I was definitely happy to have her home over the summer! I would be happy to share more details or brainstorm your situation. Feel free to PM me!</p>
<p>My son worked at our town’s day camp the summer before senior year. He also worked there the summer after his freshman year in college. I think that working at a camp is a great opportunity to build leadership skills. Doing so at a local day camp meant he stayed at home and we got to see him My younger son did a junior counselor “workreation” program at the same camp the summer before HS freshman year. He was like a helper, but I had to pay for this experience. He enjoyed it too.</p>
<p>my kids went to a lot of camps and on vacations with relatives during the summer, but they weren’t BS kids. I think it is important for a child to be home at least part of the year. Last summer after graduating, my daughter was asked to basically spend the entire summer away on a vacation, at a wedding, working with her boyfriend’s family. I said no, and she ended up spending almost the entire summer with me. It was great. </p>
<p>I needed to work during some of my undergrad college years and did it for the dorm food service where there were the student workers and the full time staff. Very enlightening to be in food service and see how the “lower half” lives- those who never get past HS and lead a life in an entirely different world. Really makes one appreciate getting a college education. College friend worked a summer at her home town plastics factory- really glad she had better options than that forever! </p>
<p>What are your son’s feelings about things? Will he have a good attitude at work like this? </p>
<p>I would not be terribly worried about him at this age- plenty of time to mature into being comfortable with adults. Perhaps he is intimidated by them because of their importance at his boarding school (took me a bit to figure out the BS). Does he want to be at home? I don’t know the situation for teens who live away from home more than a few weeks at a time.</p>
<p>Eons ago I could have used the money but jobs were hard to come by, especially when working during the school year was not to be. Was very bored so many summers. Our son was young for his grade and hard to deal with as a teen- he ignored us with a closed door so many years he almost may as well have been away. Do not count on the summer going as you envision it.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great replies… We do live in a big city where there will be lots to look for. But will note to let him know seasonal work be be more likely. He did get his first aid certification and Red Cross lifeguarding credential. He doesn’t have his waterpark level so technically, his creds are great for working at summer camps… </p>
<p>He is the type of kis who excels at everything but just doesn’t have a lot of initiative. Applying for BS was the reallly first major goal he set out. Thought he would change, but acceptance, he has been back to his cruise control style. The proverbial hare. If he pounds the hot pavement for two weeks WITHOUT getting a job, I will still happy for him to realize how hard it is to convince people to pay you! </p>
<p>Our back-up plan is for him to go help a relative who is an industrial plumber. Even if he doesn’t get paid, he will know what hard labor is like. He’s also expressed an interest in technical translation which is what I do from home. Again, it will be an eye-opener for him to realize just how hard real work is. He can always prep for the ACT and AP courses. </p>
<p>His colleges choices are NYU in Shanghai and Hongkong Science and Technology University. We live in Asia but are not Chinese nor Indian. As with getting into BS, he has a great hook in his nationality. These schools are not super competitive and he is on track without needing impressive ECs. I like the schools for their generous FA packages for foreign students and offering myriad job opportunities and he simply likes the adventure of living in a new country. He is taking Chinese right now and loves using it with his BS friends… </p>
<p>My husband and I are well educated but not super wealthy. Yet we have made the decision to put our kids in the best/expensive schools since they were little. The downside of only knowing great education is their vision of life is myopic and they have a sense of entitlement without really working hard for things. Someone mentioned how volunteer positions are competitive. The kids at my son’s school get first dibs at community events before the public school kids who are more scrutinized. The assumption is that most, though not all, the kids at the BS are better! </p>
<p>Not all private school bred kids need more exposure to real life but mine do. </p>
<p>Thank you everyone who commented, especially nice to hear from non BS parents! It was fascinating to find out about the variety of experiences. </p>
<p>A job is a great thing. But around here, Macdonald’s etc does not hire the short term summer-only kids. I ilke your backup ideas too. Good luck! </p>
My younger son did a junior counselor “workreation” program at the same camp the summer before HS freshman year. He was like a helper, but I had to pay for this experience. He enjoyed it too.</p>