This summer, I will spend five weeks at St. Paul’s ASP, an advanced studies program for high school juniors. Out of these five weeks, I will only be able to return home for one weekend (barring extenuating circumstances), so it will be a unique experience for me. As it approaches, I have begun to think about the values of such an experience. The more I consider it, the more I realize it is a great experience for most college-bound students.
There are a variety of reasons why summer programs are good for college-bound students, which I am going to go over:
- It simulates college. It serves as a sort of short term bridge between high school and college. Like college, you have to manage yourself, because you aren’t with your parents for several weeks. Also, the course-load is similar to college. You will be taking more advanced courses and doing work akin to college, so you get a realistic experience. At the same time, it is a shorter time period and not as hard as college, so you will not be inundated with work.
- There is more hands-on work. Sadly, in small high schools like mine, we don’t do very much hands-on work, because there is a small course selection list and an equally small budget. Thus, experiences like this allow students to do hands on work that they wouldn’t get to experience in their high school.
- You get to meet new people! If you’re going to a summer program, you’re probably gonna meet new people with similar perspectives, so you will be able to expand your circle of friends. Also, you might get to learn to live with a roommate while you’re at it, so that will help you when you travel to college.
- It looks great on college applications. Colleges love to hear that you applied to programs like this, so you will be able to show that off. Also, if you do well at the program or meet a teacher who likes you, you can have them write a recommendation for college. Overall, these programs provide excellent pieces for your college applications.
If you are offered a chance to join in an advanced studies summer program, take it! They are offered all over the nation and cover all sorts of topics. Needless to say, they are good for college-bound students.