Summer is known as the time when students can play and sleep as much as they want, but these days, summer is beginning to be marked as a new stress. Students who aim for prestigious colleges use summer to spend more time on academics, SAT, and extracurricular activities that will help them increase their chance of getting accepted.
Many academies have SAT programs for students during the summer. Isaac Hung, a high school junior commented, “It’s the same as going to school. I have to go to the academy at eight and study for eight hours straight. To me, summer is more of a stress.” It’s not just for the SATs. Many of these academies also offer AP prep classes so that students can prepare for the upcoming grade.
More and more students also spend their time on extracurricular activities such as Red Cross, or study for competitions such as Debate or Academic Decathlon in order to elaborate their college applications. “I’m trying to get as many community hours I can get during summer. I probably won’t have time to do community service during the school year because of all my AP classes…” stated Sarah Hwang, high school junior.
While some students viewed summer as a new stress, others shed a more positive light toward summer. “I’m doing a lot of activities during the summer, but I like how I can be more prolific and I spend time wisely doing things that boost my intelligence. It’s better than just sleeping for 14 hours and then doing nothing for the whole day!” remarked Marisa Christine, high school senior.
Still, students sigh that their summers are no longer times when they could sleep and play as much as they want. Daniel Kim, a high school freshman, commented “I know that being productive during the summer is a much better way to prepare for college, but I still feel sad that high school summers are no longer like elementary summers.”
Hi Daniel!
The topic of this article is something that many of us can certainly relate to–either we’ve seen this before or we’re actually going through this. While preparing for the SAT and AP exams much beforehand is not necessarily a bad thing, I do strongly believe that students need to have the chance (such as their summer break) to discover their passion and to really do activities that they enjoy doing.
Hey Daniel!
I can totally relate to this article. It was very interesting, because I was able to realize that I was not the only one academically struggling in the summer. Thanks for posting this article!
I think many students can relate to this article because now as high school students, summer is used less as a time for recreation and relaxation, but more to prepare for the upcoming year and catch up on extracurricular activities. Personally, I feel like I am busier in the summer than during the school year because from morning to night, my days are constantly filled.
i honestly think its worse during the break than during the school year! haha. I was able to relate to this article very easily because All my friends are going through the same situation! i really liked how you quoted your friends and i will definitely try that in my next article!
Hahaha totally relatable. I feel that id rather go to school than do all this extra tutor and summer school. Great article!