Start Planning Your Summer

With the summer quickly approaching, students must begin to construct their summer plans and decide which activities to participate in. It is essential that students get a jump start on the process because although second semester has just begun, application deadlines are fast approaching. The variety and choices students are presented with for their summer plans is ever growing and can at times be intimidating as to which one to choose. Of the many opportunities for high school students, among the popular choices are summer school/classes and college programs. COLLEGE PROGRAMS:In addition to the variety of classes offered to high school students, colleges nationwide have a series of summer programs. These programs range in complexity, from basic research to hands on activities and labs, and are specific to a student’s particular interests; for example, there are medical programs where students participate in dissections, and there are also other programs about creative writing. In attending the programs, students are given the opportunity to experience real college life, for most of the programs provide room and board in the campus dorms. For the most part, the applications for such programs usually require essays, letters of recommendation, referrals and other college-esque requirements, making most of the programs prestigious. The college programs may seem perfect, but the expenses may read differently. Most of the programs are very expensive, usually ranging anywhere from $2000 to $15,000 for only three weeks. If acceptance into the program was not hard enough, obtaining the limited financial aid/scholarship would require much hard work. CLASSES:Sometimes students do not have a choice when it comes to summer school due to the need to fulfill certain credits. But in many cases, summer school is an opportunity to get ahead for the next year. “There are a few benefits of academic classes over the summer. From a college admissions standpoint, colleges love seeing students take classes over the summer because that’s away from the regular schedule. That’s showing that students are proactive, that their showing the initiative of trying to get ahead and if they specifically take SMC classes at the college level, students are showing colleges that they are capable of taking high, advanced level college rigorous courses,” Flores said.Samo offers its own Get Ahead Program, however many popular classes are not included on their syllabus. The application for the Get Ahead Program can easily be accessed via the Samo website or by individual counselors at house offices.With SMC so conveniently local, Samo is not the only place students can enroll in classes. To compensate for the classes missing from the Samo list, Samo and SMC have fashioned a concurrent program where high school students can take SMC courses and get both high school and college credit. Such classes include Chemistry, World History, US History and more. The application for enrollment is a bit more complicated than the Get Ahead Program because in order to participate in the SMC classes, one must become an SMC student. This entails taking the diagnostic and placement math and science tests at SMC. Scheduling for the test and the application for classes will be available on the SMC website during March.SMC is not the only college that offers accredited courses for high school students. Universities like USC and UCLA also conduct an abundance of classes for high school students, as well as the other UC schools and private institutions. In some cases, one can enroll in these classes and also live in the college dorms during the duration of the class. Such experience would not only expose high school students to the rigor of college courses, but also introduce the true college adventure. Course listings and applications for the university courses can be found on the official website for the specific college.