In the movies, high schoolers seem to have summers filled with picturesque trips to the beach, wild parties and skinny dipping in crystal-clear lakes. But at MVHS and other high schools across the Bay Area, it’s a very different experience: as summer draws near, the conversations begin to shift from seniors worrying over college applications in the fall to underclassmen and juniors griping about their summer plans and upcoming internship application deadlines.
Instead of gossiping about their next vacation or their next pool party, students gossip about what summer programs they’re applying to, what jobs they’re looking for and what the best college-level internships for their upcoming careers are. All of this brings up the question: when did high schoolers start feeling like they needed to do these intense activities over the summer rather than trying to have fun?
In recent years, summer programs and internships for high schoolers have become increasingly popular. As top 20 colleges become harder to get into, competition gets fierce among MVHS students aiming for their dream universities, with high schoolers attempting to catch up to these declining acceptance rates by filling up their resumes. Competitive summer programs like California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science or Yale Young Global Scholars receive thousands of eager applicants looking to spend their summer at a college campus to add another line to their already-packed resume. Without the weight of classes, homework and school sports, summer is the most opportune time to rack up activities. However, doing so often compromises the fun or excitement that comes with a summer without worry.
This isn’t to say summer programs and internships aren’t excellent in many ways. Summer programs allow students the opportunity to befriend kids from other backgrounds and areas of the country, and some programs offer the chance to explore college campuses and interact with world-renowned professors and field leaders. Internships deliver real-world experiences and connect students with experienced professionals.
For the students who genuinely want to take on these challenges and feel motivated to do so, it is an incredible experience few are lucky enough to get. But for the students that feel pressured into spending what often becomes thousands of dollars for these programs, they’ll be spending a summer doing something their heart isn’t fully in. Later on, these students may feel regret for not being able to have the summers of fun and relaxation movies depicted. Because these extracurriculars and experiences are so often painted as the best way to get into college and everyone else seems to be doing them, not participating in them feels like a risk that will compromise a student’s college applications.
We’re only in high school once. It’s four short years we’ll never get back — four years of freedom and the ability to try new things with the comfort of our parents’ support in a safe environment. In a few years, the majority of us will be working full-time jobs and won’t have summer vacations at all. Although summer programs and internships are enticing for resume-building, if it’s not something someone is 100% up for, it’s essentially wasting our summer away.
A lot of the pressure to go to summer programs or look for internships comes from people talking about the insane extracurriculars they did to get into the top universities in the world. It begins to feel like there are fixed paths to getting into these schools: do this internship or go to this summer program. But resume-building and finding fulfillment from our extracurriculars do not have to be mutually exclusive. There are ways to instill both passion and excitement into our lives through summer activities. You don’t have to buy into what your parents or your college counselor want you to do or what they believe your summer should look like either. Beyond that, attending a certain college’s summer program doesn’t help admission chances. A lot of the time, these programs are simply to generate revenue for colleges and act as summer camps for academically gifted students.
With MVHS being one of the top high schools in the country and sending hundreds of kids to prestigious schools across the world, there’s a lot of pressure for students to follow in alumni’s footsteps and complete insane amounts of activities to match up. Right now, 83% of MV students feel pressured to complete summer programs or internships over the summer. In the past, 77% of MV students have felt ashamed about not doing summer programs or internships.
As summer draws near and we begin to stress about our upcoming plans and if they’re enough — remember that while summer programs and internships are incredible opportunities that few are lucky enough to have, they are also not the end-all-be-all. We’re only teenagers — there are so many more opportunities in our lives and we should remember this is the only time in our lives we’ll have this kind of freedom. This is the last time we can experiment, make mistakes and have fun — it’s our last chance to just be kids. Doing a summer program doesn’t guarantee your admission into a Top 20 university either — with admissions being so ridiculous and acceptance rates dropping every year, it’s becoming more difficult regardless.
It’s okay to have fun during the summer. It’s okay to go to amusement parks and run through the waves at the beach and spend lazy afternoons with your friends at the mall. The whole point of summer break is to relax after an exhausting school year — something MVHS’ competitive culture greatly intensifies. So goof off with your friends. Have fun. After all, you’re only a teenager once.
