Maureen Dinnie
Senior Editor
Summer is a time for relaxation, a time for students who spend 10 months of the school year stuck inside with homework and projects to finally get some rest. But for a few students, the summer held different, more active plans. Summer pre-college programs are common in high schools, drawing interest from a couple of students each year.There are many different reasons why students are drawn by these programs across the country. For senior Elbek Abasov, who participated in the NYU Pre-college program in New York City, the interest in the program began early. “I really wanted to start getting a feel for college and split away from the whole high school feeling and start doing my own thing,” Elbek said.
The program involved interacting with college students who remained on campus over the summer, as well as taking classes at the university. However, Elbek found the most rewarding part of the experience to be academic based. “I got an idea of what college classes are like, how I should study for midterms and finals, and how I should take notes,” Elbek said.
Senior Catherine Betack, who participated in the Musiker Summer Discovery at UCLA in California, found her experience to be unique socially. “I found out about the program through my sister because she did it two years ago and really enjoyed it,” Catherine said. The summer program application process was similar to the college application process, requiring a counselor recommendation as well as reasons for interest and examples of academic work.
Catherine agreed with Elbek with the idea of wanting to take a break from the high school scene. “I wanted to do something different. I wanted to also get some sort of feeling for the freedom you have once you are off in college,” Catherine said.
But the greatest opportunity Catherine gained from her program was the chance to become friends with people from around the world. “It was cool to meet people from places I had never been before,” Catherine said. She still keeps in contact with the people she met from her hall.
Though the programs that Catherine and Elbek participated in were academic based, some students wanted to have a summer of community service. Senior Macy Potter spent her summer in Costa Rica with a program called Adventures Cross Country. “I got a brochure for the company in the mail and I had always wanted to do a trip like this. I chose the community service trip in Costa Rica,” Macy said.
Macy felt that the cultural differences in Costa Rica were what made the trip a great learning experience. “Sometimes being in New Canaan I forget about other places that need help, so I really wanted a new experience and to visit a new place and learn things I never knew before,” Macy said.
Students who partook in programs over the summer not only learned in the classroom, but also took in the culture they were surrounded with. Whether in New York, California or even Costa Rica, all three students came away from the summer with an experience they would never forget.
