It may be December, but it is time to plan for summer if you are looking to explore your curiosity with a unique experience.

Whether your interest is in engineering, politics, journalism, leadership, artificial intelligence, botany, microbiology, or anything else, there are opportunities to try it out and see if you still like it after a test run.

Colleges and organizations across the country offer summer programs for high school students. Most have a fee, but scholarships are often available for qualified applicants to subsidize the costs.

Why do a summer program on a college campus? 
• Test the waters to see if your expectations of a potential career field match the reality of what you study in class.
• Explore life on a college campus (and possibly living away from home)
• Learn something new and fun (leadership camps are great for this)
• Meet other teenagers who share your interests.

Why not to do a summer program on a college campus.
• Cost. These programs are summer money-makers for most colleges. Pay to play.
• They do not give you an advantage in getting into that college when it comes to applications. Attending a Stanford camp doesn’t help you get into Stanford.
• There are other options to explore your curiosity, including summer courses, volunteer work, internships, a job, etc.
• Resume padding/trying to impress potential colleges when you apply. 

Summer programs should be something students want to do for personal reasons. Colleges appreciate it when you say you want to be a doctor, engineer, or businessperson and have evidence to show you are trying to figure out what that means in the “real world.”

Summer programs on a college campus can accomplish that, but there are alternatives. For instance, maybe that looks like taking an anatomy or intro engineering class at your local community college. Business is a vague and all-encompassing term — are you an entrepreneur, accountant, Realtor, investor, or what does “business” mean to you and how will you figure it out?

Maybe you are actually more of an economist or communications major at some schools. How about getting a job or creating a project with tangible and measurable results to show initiative?

Whether you decide to do an organized summer experience, or get a regular summer job, the important thing is to use your time wisely.

College applications will ask how you spend your time outside the classroom. Scrolling TikTok for hours on end doesn’t show how you will contribute to or participate in their community. Have something to show for your time.