As we approach summer, it’s important to start thinking about ways to have fun over the break while gaining skills relating to real-world experiences. Whether you wish to improve academically or athletically, there are a wide variety of summer programs waiting for your application. These programs are a great way for students to have college-level experiences that help them prepare for their future career path. The Blue and White interviewed students and school staff to get a more in depth look into summer programs.
Applying to summer programs may be confusing and difficult, as many websites and companies offer different types of programs based on different career paths, however there are programs like Career Source Central Florida that can help keep your application process quick and easy. When asked about the application process, Junior Journee Holmes stated, “You’ll need to provide your personal information and get it approved and verified before you can join the program. This is also where you’ll pick which part of the summer program you want to be a part of. During this process you’ll be assigned a career assistant who can answer any questions you may have.” She further explained what she experienced within the first week: “Before the official job part of the program begins, all participants go to the introductory program for a week. There we learned about skills needed for the workplace, job etiquette, how to create a resume and possible career paths. On the last day of the introductory program, all the experienced students had to submit their resumes and interview with the businesses they hoped to work at.” Junior Natalie Davis had some conflicting views about this website: “There was a complication when they put me in a session. They didn’t put me in the session I requested, so I wasn’t able to complete my program due to band camp. My advisor also switched mid communication, and we couldn’t get in contact with my new one.”
A commonly asked question about summer programs is what students can expect to gain after completing it. Colin Poon, an Apopka High School student who completed the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) and STARTALK Mandarin Chinese program in Atlanta, Georgia (two fully funded summer programs), expressed how “NSLI-Y was truly life changing in terms of empowering me to be more conversational in Mandarin Chinese and showing me a new world perspective. STARTALK was a bit less so in that respect but was still meaningful in teaching Chinese that is relevant to my career, showcasing cultural arts to me, and more.” Journee also shared that her summer program helped her “develop leadership skills” and apply problem solving skills to real-world situations.
While these programs do offer once in a lifetime opportunities, it is important to take a look into any potential drawbacks–one of these being cost. While there are many inexpensive or free summer programs, there are a large number of programs that cost a lot of money. On top of the tuition and/or application fees, you’ll need to make sure you have enough money for transportation, housing, and food costs which can get pretty expensive pretty fast. Mrs. Stephenson, Apopka High School’s College and Career Guidance Counselor, shared her overall views on the programs: “My overall views are that any program that is thousands of dollars probably is not going to be worth it to the student, because it does not necessarily give you any sort of preference or leg up when it comes to college admissions. There are definitely better alternatives like taking challenging AP classes. However, there are summer programs that you can get scholarships for and there’s some that I do recommend that are completely free.” Another drawback is the time commitment. Some, if not all summer programs, tend to require a large amount of time commitment which may overlap with other obligations. Therefore, it is important to ensure that you can dedicate time and energy into your selected program. Considering how much your budget and schedule can allow is a crucial part to remember when deciding if a summer program is right for you.
In order to save students from stressing over whether or not applying for summer programs is right for them, we asked our interviewees to give some advice. Sophomore Sophia Powell suggested “apply to all that seem fun! That way you have a good chance of making it into at least one.” Holly Rinehart, a sophomore, described how “it was worth it because you make a lot of friends during the programs.”
Overall, summer programs provide a variety of opportunities to make new friends and gain experiences in your desired career path. With many of the programs having February deadlines, The Blue and White suggests you start applying to any summer programs you are interested in. Good luck!
