by Nidhi S., Pleasanton
The following essay was written as part of IYE’s biannual timed writing assessment. We’ve left in a few minor errors because the essay is well written. It’s impressive work, and even more impressive in that it was written in 45 minutes.
Summer Should Be Fun
It has become more and more common for students to participate in academic camps, internships, and other structured activities over their summer break. Mostly due to their parents’ will or desire to get into a good college, students participate in such activities. Middle school and high school students should be able to decide what they want to do each day so that they are able to actually enjoy their break from school.
With college admissions becoming increasingly difficult, both students and parents have begun resorting to summer programs to build college applications. Most people are only in these courses for college, but if they do something actually meaningful to them, they will have more to say about it on their application. For example, one could write about their trips or hobbies they took on over summer more passionately than about a class they were forced to take. Letting students decide what to do over summer will make their summer more enjoyable and will give them a unique story to tell.
Additionally, students who choose what to do over their summer are more likely to gain real-world experience. The real world is not structured like academic summer programs are. There is not always someone to tell us what to do or when to do it. If a student runs on their own schedule, they will have to learn how to be productive on their own, which is a life skill that is hard to learn during the school year since teachers and parents are always behind us. So letting students choose what to do over summer will allow them to not only enjoy their break doing what they love, but also teach them crucial productivity skills.
Finally, many people think that students will waste time if they are given so much freedom. It is true that they might waste time if there is no structure, since they are not used to it. However, it is good to let them suffer the consequences of their complacency, so that they can learn and do better.
All in all, students will benefit from having the freedom to choose what to do over summer. They will be more passionate and responsible as a result. Some fun residential summer programs could be good alternatives, since there is not too much structure and students will gain life skills living alone for a few weeks. Students should enjoy their well deserved freedom over summer break.