At a time when accessing colleges is getting more and more challenging, students need to outpace their counterparts to enter the best higher institutions. While some spend their summers studying for the following year’s classes, others choose to attend what I like to call enrichment programs. You may know them as “Summer Programs”, but they are much more. Not only do they give students the opportunity to broaden their horizons and make the right choices for their futures, but they also allow them to live their passions in a way traditional High Schools won’t. Our Writing Freaks have expressed their opinions on the topic, let’s hear them out.
The current lockdown making travel a real chimera, the idea of crossing borders, discovering new people and cultures, and widening one’s knowledge of the world reaches the paroxysm of its attractiveness. As Ghita T. states, “I will see the world and gain a new global perspective, make new friends, share the same ideas with people from all over the world.” The idea of living in a different location with people you had never met before and with whom you don’t even share the same mother tongue transforms going to a Summer Camp into a real adventure. Adventures are wonderful ways for teenagers to get out of their comfort zones, in order for them to build and shape their personalities, and thus be well-prepared for what life has in store for them.
From a more academic perspective, Summer Camps really tip the scales when it comes to evaluating college applications. As Ghita T. said:” It is beneficial for the resume”. Indeed, the currently used platform Parcoursup renders access to French Universities and preparatory schools (commonly known as “prépas”) harder and harder, and that is forgetting about the highly selective American Ivies.
While some students might be obsessed with giving more and more width to their resumes, our Writing Freaks are enthralled by their passions. They want to attend Summer Camps not only to improve their resumes but also to spend time doing what moves them. For this article, both our contributors love helping others. Yasmine T., for instance, would like to take part in a program called “Volunteering Solutions”. This organization which contributes to areas that go from the welfare of wildlife to medical assistance, will truly allow her to” feel that she made a difference, that she helped people, that she wasn’t just watching, she actually acted.” When it comes to the valuable self-confidence boosting feeling of accomplishment, Yasmine adds: “it would make me happy to help someone else and put smiles on children faces”.
As we have seen with the examples of Yasmine and Ghita, Summer Camps can be a real opportunity for you to develop your skills, to gain experience, enrich your resume and feel like you truly made a difference. You, teenagers, are just entering the unknown ferocious jungle that is life, and a summer camp is an opportunity for you to discover its wonders while still being supervised. Seize it.
Written by Yasmine Talal, Ghita Tabati and Ismail Assafi
Edited and put together by Ismail Assafi
Picture from the movie Addams Family Values (Barry Sonnenfeld, 1991)