As a result of the ever growing education arms race every summer, students are encouraged to fill their schedules with camps, internships, academic classes, and volunteer work because it will look good on their college applications.
These programs are often promoted as the key to success, creating the impression that an educationally productive summer is the only successful summer.
But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Summer programs aren’t a perfect fit for everyone. The most obvious downside of them is their length. Most courses are designed to teach a semester’s worth of information in just a few weeks.
This accelerated pace means that many details of the class may be skipped to save time, forcing students to rely on strategies like cramming to meet deadlines. This may help short-term recall, but it does little to support deeper, long-term retention and understanding.
A report done by the Northwest Evaluation Association showed that summer school had no statistically significant impact on cumulative skills, such as literacy, language and reading comprehension.
If students struggle to recall what they’ve learned after finishing the course, then the purpose of taking the class comes into question. Rather than providing meaningful education, students may take these courses as simply another achievement to add to their college application or resume.
The often demanding pace of summer courses undermines one of the main purposes for having a 10-week break: a recovery from the pressure of the school year.
Packing a semester’s worth of material into a short summer course can cause significant academic stress, which negatively impacts students’ mental health. Instead of returning to school refreshed and ready for the new year, students may begin the year already burnt out.
Just like all living organisms, students need periods of rest to grow and develop.
The often steep financial costs of attending summer programs can also create unequal access.
Statistics show a greater percentage of lower income families could not enroll their kids in summer programs. Although 55% of parents of K-12 children report sending their children to some sort of summer program, 48% of parents polled who wanted to send their children to a camp couldn’t do so, according to a 2024 Gallup poll. Within that 48%, 66% cited financial costs as one of the top three reasons they didn’t enroll their kids in summer programs, while 32% indicated it was the top reason.
The increased pressure for students to take additional courses during the summer can deepen educational inequality by favoring wealthier families who can afford expensive enrichment opportunities compared to those who can’t.
As educational competitiveness increases, students are increasingly taught to view every summer as an opportunity to gain an advantage.
But reducing summer to a checklist of achievements ignores the importance of rest, balance and equal opportunity.
Success does not come from filling every moment with academic achievement, and students should not feel pressured to sacrifice their well being to keep up in an education arms race.
Larry Tang, Staff Writer
NO
Now that AP testing is finished and spring season is coming to a close, what’s left for students is to get excited for summer break.
Many Cal High students are already planning for their next summer vacation, signing up for summer jobs or even taking 10 weeks to relax and forget about their studies.
But to some students, a 10-week break means time for catching up or getting a head start on their future classes.
According to San Ramon Valley Unified School District’s non-district course (NDC) policy, courses may be completed for advancement, enrichment or to fulfill a graduation requirement.
Students and parents need to ensure that the NDC institution meets the criteria of being University of California or California State University approved.
The NDC institution must be Western Association of Schools and Colleges accredited and issue academic credits and official transcripts for completed coursework.
This begs the question: Do students benefit from taking these summer courses?
In this day and age when many students dream of getting into a good college, summer courses are most definitely beneficial for a student’s academic success.
Summer courses are usually split into two categories, online and offline. Both are extremely beneficial, with online courses providing flexibility in learning and offline classes providing face-to-face engagement between students and teachers.
Convenience and flexibility are among the main reasons why students can benefit from taking online courses. Students can customize study schedules based on personal learning styles and preferences depending on their extracurriculars.
Classrooms are sometimes loud and overwhelming environments for some students, so online courses are a great alternative.
According to an article published in 2023 by the U.S. Career Institute, summer is an ideal time for students to dedicate more time to one class.
By allowing them to keep up with the coursework at their own pace, it allows them to get a better grade on tougher subjects that they wouldn’t be able to manage with other classes in a full semester.
In a 2011 study conducted by Science Direct, students who had control of their own study time significantly outperformed students who had no control over their study time.
By having a self-paced learning environment, students tend to do better in their independent classes than the ones offered at school. While Cal offers a variety of classes, high schools are mostly limited by staffing and resources. Summer courses are not restricted by such limits.
Popular institutions such as Silicon Valley High School or Brigham Young University Independent Study provide a wide range of courses that allow students to explore niche , inaccessible, interests.
Whether it’s learning more about law or exploring an obscure foreign language, NDCs allow students to tailor their education to their specific career goals and personal passions.
Another benefit of enrolling in a summer course is the flexibility it can provide during the actual school year. By taking standard prerequisites or graduation requirements like health or PE during the summer, students are able to free up their future schedules.
This provides a free slot for a desired elective, an AP class, or even a free, unscheduled period in the morning or at the end of the day.
Many students prefer having five periods instead of seven to have extra room to calm down during a course-heavy semester.
Summer courses are at a faster pace than normal classes and cram a full semester of studies into a just a couple of months.
But to some students, summer courses tend to be easier because they are able to focus on a few topics rather than juggling a full course load.
It ultimately depends on how well students manage their time. Since summer courses are smaller than regular full semester classes, they can be beneficial because they are able to get more individualized attention from the teacher.
Jeff Ek, an Associate Professor in the Design program at Ferris State University (FSU), says in an FSU blog that smaller classes are ideal because he is able to give students more personalized feedback, expectations and critique.
Overall, summer courses are one of the best ways a student can improve their studies, complete standard prerequisites or explore more about their interests and passions.
Rafa Bawono, Staff Wrtiter
