With the increasing pressure to be accepted into a “good” college, more students are spending their summers studying unnecessarily and for the wrong reasons.
It is universally accepted that colleges look favorably on applicants who have taken part in internships, college courses and other academic programs over the summer. The amount of summer programs students enroll in reflects the popular theory that more is better.
If an academic course really appeals to a student for its content rather than its name, then taking the course is definitely a worthwhile and deserved experience. Students should certainly consider any opportunities to further develop their interests. Also, if a student really needs a course to make up previously missed classes, then it is absolutely fine that they attend summer courses.
However, there is a difference between students who want to learn, and students who attend to boost their college applications.
Many programs attract more applicants than they can include. When students who only want to bulk up their college applications take up spots in programs, other students who actually have an interest in the subject cannot pursue their interests.
“I wanted to go the COSMOS program because I want to major in biology and math, which is what the summer camp is all about,” sophomore Sumedha Gupta said. “To me, this camp sounded like a lot of fun because of all the activities, research, and labs that they have to do.”
At the insistence of parents, many students only take academic courses in which they have no interest. Although parents only want what is best for their child, prioritizing quantity over quality will not help — neither now, nor in the future. Students will not benefit from a miserable summer or from acceptance to an incompatible college.
“I do think that it’s unfair that kids are going with the mentality that they have to do it just because their parents are telling them to, or because it looks good on application,” Gupta said. “If these kids didn't go, then there would be a higher chance of people who actually like this camp getting in.”
In an age in which there are so many more opportunities, students need to take care not to overwork themselves. Putting effort into an uninteresting class is a waste of a student’s high school experience.
Teachers as well as students are affected by the increasing amounts of students attending summer courses. Many programs require recommendation letters from teachers. However, a teacher only has enough time to write a certain amount of letters. Often, students who have a greater need for letters cannot find teachers with time to write them.
Summer can be a much better experience — spent focusing on academics or not — if students participate in what they actually want to do during the vacation.
