By Mihika Badjate
During the summer, it is quite common for high school students to participate in summer camps or class, whether it be an SAT prep course, coding camp, or residential program at a university. Outlined below are some of the pros and cons of spending your summer time participating in these.
Positives
Among the many positive aspects of summer camps, arguably the most important one is meeting new people and developing friendships. While summer courses might be interesting, they are always more fun when you are in an interactive environment and have the opportunity to socialize and make friends. Another point is that over the summer, students can take classes that focus more on their interests. They can also explore new and different courses that are not normally offered in high school or really anything that sparks their interest. Summer classes can also be useful if a student wants to get ahead in school or study for a specific subject or test. For example, if a student wants to jump to a higher level of math in school next school year, he or she could take a course over the summer to get credit and skip a year of math in school, or use the extra time to focus on other subjects during the school year.
Negatives
While there are many positives to taking summer classes, they often take up a considerable amount of time and commitment. Especially if you are planning on taking what would normally be a whole year’s course over the summer, you might even have homework to do for the course. Summer time is a time to relax, have fun, and take a break from the hectic school year, so if summer classes stress you out or feel like they’re taking over your summer, maybe they’re not the best option. Also, just practically, participating in a class that is more than a week or two blocks up your schedule and leaves less time for traveling or other things you might want to do.
