The Annual Problem for Our Generation

The Annual Problem for Our Generation

By: Emily Burke

Sentry Staff Reporter

As Phineas and Ferb put it, “There’s 104 days of summer vacation and school comes along just to end it, so the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to spend it.”

Summer may not be exactly 104 days long, but finding a good way to spend it can definitely be hard. When students think of summer, they usually look forward to lazy days filled with Netflix. But when vacation finally arrives, lounging around can quickly get boring. So how can boredom be avoided this year? A summer enrichment program is the perfect solution.

Many universities offer summer programs for high school students. Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. offers summer programs right on campus. The program options include International Relations, Creative Writing, Sports Industry Management and many more. The application deadline for this program is April 15. If any of the programs seem interesting, it would be wise to begin the application and finding teacher recommendations now.

“Give the teachers you’re getting for teacher recommendations plenty of time, because they’ll do a better job if they have more time. Also, don’t put it off because you’re not going to do your best work if you’re doing it all the night before,” said Junior Nik Varley, who applied to both the Governor’s School and the summer residential school at the University of Chicago.

This is of crucial importance for students applying to any summer program, but it is especially important for these programs, which each require two teacher recommendations. However, one should not worry about this. When asked about the application processes, Varley responded that both applications were manageable.

“(The applications) were pretty easy. I had to write short essays (for) short answer type questions. I had to send Chicago my transcripts and for Governor’s School I had to take a test and my PSAT scores were sent on,” Varley said.

Information about these programs is easily accessible. The Gifted Education website has links to many useful websites. Another great way to find out about summer opportunities is to ask around.

“I have a friend who did Governor’s School last year. My (other) friend did the University of Chicago (program) last year and really enjoyed it, so I figured I would apply,” Varley said.

Eileen Wagner, Gifted Resource Teacher, is a great person to talk to about summer programs. Wagner also had advice for students applying to Governor’s School or Professional Related Intern/Mentorship Experience, or P.R.I.M.E., for both of which students can apply as sophomores and juniors to enter the program as juniors and seniors. Although this year’s application deadline passed, the programs are worth looking into for next year. Governor’s School is a residential program that uses hands-on activities, classroom instruction and real artistic productions to help students improve in their selected area of focus. Governor’s School offers programs that focus on academics, world languages and visual and performing arts. P.R.I.M.E. is an internship program in which students are placed with professional organizations based on their interests.

“My suggestion for students who are considering applying next school year (is) that they look on the website for Governor’s School and see what current students had to do for their applications,” Wagner said.

Wagner would agree that it is a good idea to talk to other students and ask them about their experience with the application process and the program itself. Wagner also emphasized the value of the information available to students online that allows them to start the application early so that they can submit a thoughtful application.

“All the information is there. That includes applications, recommendations, resume sheets they have to fill out (and) essays they have to write. They should familiarize themselves with what is involved so that they can be working on what the application is asking for,” Wagner said.

Junior Warren McQueary shared his experience with P.R.I.M.E., through which he taught theater classes to children of various ages with the Educational Theater Company.

“Often the theater we learn here in Yorktown (has) a very distinct cultural sense and often when you go out and do other theater programs you experience a sort of culture shock because they do it in a very different way than we do here. So one of the most rewarding things of doing P.R.I.M.E. is that I could go to a different theater community, introduce some of Cadby’s ideas and also learn from them so I was able to present a very different view on theater and learn some of theirs myself,” said McQueary.

McQueary explained that P.R.I.M.E. is not only about improving skills in your selected field of interest, but also about learning new skills in areas you might never have considered before. P.R.I.M.E. students are periodically taken out of their internships and taken on field trips to explore other areas. When asked to advise future applicants, McQueary had some suggestions.

“Get to know your area well and keep an open mind as far as knowing that you’re not just going to be doing what you originally signed up to do,” McQueary said, “It’s best for someone who’s not only willing to explore what they’re passionate about but also to explore other things.”

 

Featured Image courtesy of Google Images

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