As spring approached last year, I started exploring academic summer camps for my high-schooler. If you’re not yet entrenched in the competitive world of high school achievements and college application embellishments, let me be the first to inform you: it’s a ruthless environment out there.
And when I say ruthless, I mean the battle to see who can juggle the most extracurricular commitments, academic pressures, and social obligations while somehow emerging as a well-adjusted, happy, and non-anxious young adult. And this is all before they even set foot on a college campus.
Just as your teenager collapses in exhaustion at the end of the school year, it’s time to enhance that résumé with “academic summer camps.” What? You didn’t realize this was a trend? It’s a very real and significant phenomenon. Simply attending school for ten months and then working a summer job isn’t sufficient anymore. Nowadays, teens are expected to spend their summers immersed in further academic studies, international service projects, volunteer work, and community mentoring—all while potentially juggling a part-time job as well.
But hold on, it gets even more daunting. Even if your child can handle the academic demands of a summer program, your finances may not be able to. I discovered this harsh reality while searching for summer options for my son, and the price tags left me reeling. A four-day non-residential STEM program at a nearby state university cost over $1,700. A two-week residential program in the same area? Over $3,500.
Usually, I’m accustomed to significant educational expenses since my children attend private school. However, a four-day health science camp priced at $1,700? Is a renowned physician giving lectures there? After further investigation into various disciplines and community college offerings, I quickly realized that such hefty fees are the norm for summer-intensive academic experiences.
And let’s not forget about sports training camps, which I like to call “Summer Experiences that Require a Second Mortgage.” Surely your 8-year-old aspiring baseball star needs 80 hours of one-on-one coaching from a former major league player at the deal of $1,000 a week, right?
Still not finished. If you have a budding actor or musician, drama camps that host summer productions can easily hit $500 per week. Who can really afford these rates?
These exorbitant prices not only exclude lower-income families but also place a heavy burden on the typical middle-class household. The inability to finance such enriching summer experiences can hinder high-achieving students, resulting in less competitive college applications.
What happened to simply dropping your kids off at the local recreation center for swimming, arts, and crafts for just $10 a day? Can we not provide more affordable summer academic and extracurricular opportunities for our talented youth without breaking the bank?
Furthermore, when did it become acceptable for state universities to favor applicants based on summer activities instead of solely on high school transcripts? I would prefer students who have spent their summers working minimum wage jobs, learning the value of hard work, over those who have paid dearly for a prestigious experience. Ironically, I suspect that if affluent families were offered a summer job that teaches hard work, they would pay to have their child hired at a fast-food restaurant.
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In conclusion, while the pressure for academic achievement in summer camps has skyrocketed, we must consider the financial implications and the true value of work experience.
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