Connecting Students with Meaningful Summer Programs

It’s no secret throughout sports, champions are made in the off-season. More often than not, the effort in which we put into our respected craft determines our outcomes. Whether it is in academics or athletics, student athletes can flourish regardless of ability when they're willing to put forth the effort and work towards something of significance. Well-known for her research on mindsets and their impact on motivation and achievement, Dr. Carol Dweck, in Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, states: “No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.”

I have found that throughout my career—whether I was coaching, school counseling, or directing a college counseling program—students put forth their best effort when they find meaning through a sense of purpose and belonging. It’s our job as stakeholders to provide them with that connection they need to “buy in” and put forth their best effort. As I’m writing this, we’re in the midst of connecting students with applications for summer programs scattered throughout the nation and abroad. These programs range in subjects from aviation to zoology, with everything in between. Most of which are located on college/university campuses and led by department professors—which serves as a great way to experience student life on campus, build relevant connections, and demonstrate interest while expanding upon their curiosity of the program. 

In addition to training and attending athletic camps and showcase events, aspiring collegiate student athletes can also utilize the summer months to attend academic camps at schools of interest to them. By taking advantage of these opportunities, they’re able to demonstrate their academic interests and abilities while further experiencing the environment through a different lens. Many of these programs have applications that are currently open with deadlines that are approaching in the coming weeks/months. For current high school juniors, this is a tremendous opportunity to explore schools and even subjects of interest in a multifaceted way. I’ve had former students realize that while they loved the university, they personally did not align with the program and we were able to reframe that experience as a positive one which allowed them to go in a different direction academically speaking. On the other hand, I’ve had students realize that the program was even more exciting than they had anticipated, but the particular university was not the best fit. This allowed them to cross their once “dream school” off the list and move in a new direction college wise.

Through the discovery of meaningful summer programs, students can gain access to invaluable experiences while building upon their interests and strengths. These experiences can in turn create a deeper connection to their sense of purpose and belonging as they begin to explore colleges and universities as part of their admissions journey. The magic happens when we connect students with opportunities that allow them to put forth their best effort, learning, and persistence. From those experiences, growth occurs and leads to a world of possibilities.