Summer: Where the Days Are Longer
I’ve spent weeks trying to find a creative introduction to this entry. After searching movie quotes and song lyrics (the title coming from a snip-it of Ventura Highway by America), my brain has been unable to fall into a proper bilateral mode and I’ve come up with nothing. What I do know is the thermometer is dropping, days are shorter, and schedules are at their tightest. It’s a perfect time to start planning for summer – longer days, greater freedom, and warmer weather. Summer provides students time for free-play, to explore, experiment, and discover (insert any other educational buzz word you want). It’s important that you do so because after nine-plus months of being over-scheduled and over-committed, I hope the summer provides you some freedom to make your own decisions. Please embrace this unscripted time and dedicate a small portion of it to your interests, be genuine and don’t allow someone else to convince you to devote yourself to something to pad your college applications. Heed the words of Jeff Bezos, “One of the hugest mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves.”
I use the word interest very deliberately. An interest is a starting point, something you’re curious about or wish to further explore. According to Angela Duckworth (founder of Grit theory), an interest supersedes passion and is triggered by interactions with the outside world and through experimentation. I’m assuming you don’t have a lot of freedom between September and May to experiment with outside world interactions. However, the summer can be this time; a time to embrace risk because the experience isn’t graded. The type of summer enrichment I’m recommending should be driven by a motivation to have fun learning. Studies have shown that students who are given the freedom to make their own choices are more likely to develop interests that become passions. And if you’re not intrinsically motivated to pursue an interest, it might light a fire under you to know that Dean Furda at the University of Penn believes that the college search begins with self-assessment and the 5 I’s, with #4 being: Interests.
What does this summer experience look like? First, there’s no rules. In fact, something rather ambiguous is great! The commitment could be days, weeks, or longer. That’s for your motivations to decide. Structured summer programs like Drexel’s Mini Med School or Northeastern’s Summer Journalism Institute are great options. They’re packaged wonderfully, allow you to have fun learning, and introduce you to topic experts. What they don’t require is initiative and creativity, and don’t allow the freedom to change the experience. You get what you pay for. For the most part, that’s attractive. Other somewhat-structured options are volunteering, summer jobs, travel, research, and internships. Self-designed experiences can include a summer reading list, shadowing professionals and experts, or giving your time to a cause. The later options require you to do more of the legwork and also receive more of the rewards when you find success. A blending or a stacking of deliveries can also provide rewards.
Success is an arbitrary term when it comes to this topic. How do you ensure prosperity with your dedicated summer time? While you’re partaking, be inquisitive. Instead of treating the opportunity like a class where you’re asked to give answers, turn the tables and revert to elementary school years when you asked hundreds of questions a day. Be engaged and learn from those around you. This will also help you identify mentors, people who know more about your interest than you do. Show appreciation and stay in touch with these people. And finally, reflect. Talk to parents, teachers, and friends and keep a journal. Was the result of the time you spent exploring what you thought it would be? What did you learn and what is left to discover? What’s the next steps? Do you dare set goals? Or, perhaps, the deep dive into a topic wasn’t what you expected. While you’ve added experiences to your tool box, you’d like to go in a different direction with your future freedoms. Finding passion, career, or college major isn’t an epiphany, it’s a process of trial and error. The result of this process may be some interests going by the wayside while others are further developed, and some may deepen into a lifetime commitments. It all starts with a willingness to invest a period of time exploring, perhaps during the summer (where the days are longer).
Archmere Academy is a private, Catholic, college preparatory co-educational academy,
grades 9-12 founded in 1932 by the Norbertine Fathers.
grades 9-12 founded in 1932 by the Norbertine Fathers.
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