MAKING THE MOST OF SUMMER CAMP

As spring comes into full bloom and the end of the year approaches, summer comes into view. One way people spend at least part of their summer as children is by going to summer camp. At this point, there is a great variety of camps covering all sorts of activities from exploring the outdoors to playing sports to creating art to experimenting with STEM. In high school, though, it’s not just about having fun anymore. It’s about what you want to do with your life.

Emmy Wernimont, a sophomore at Community High School (CHS), plans to become an engineer after college, so she’s applying to Summer Engineering Exploration (SEE) Camp – an engineering camp run by the Society of Women Engineers at the University of Michigan (UM). The camp is six days long and the campers stay overnight on campus.

​​”It's an introduction to all different types of engineering, which I think will be nice because I know I want to go into engineering, but I don't really know specifically what I want to do,” Wernimont said. “So I think I'll be able to get introduced to a ton of different possible fields.”

Summer camps can be put on a college application, and Wernimont hopes that they will see her effort to educate and familiarize herself with the world of STEM.

Natalie Serban, also a CHS sophomore, will be attending an ID camp this summer. ID camps are sessions of only a few days and their purpose is to provide athletes with the opportunity to showcase their talents to the specific college hosting the ID camp. Its overall goal is to help colleges scout out potential players for their athletic teams.

Serban currently plays for the Michigan Hawks Soccer Club, and she has been playing since she was in preschool. She wants to play in college, but she is thinking about becoming either an engineer or going into business after that.

At the ID camps, they begin with drills and then move on to scrimmages, where the coaches assign the players different positions based on where they think a particular athlete will perform the best. 

“I'm a midfielder, so I want [coaches] to see my passes and my skill," Serban said. “ I want [them] to see that I'm dedicated and that's what they really want to see: a team-player [who has] dedication.”

Tate Zeleznik, a CHS junior, also wants his prospective colleges to see his interest in the field he wants to venture into: theater.

“I want them to see that I am interested in always learning and trying new things, and going to a camp or something [like] that is a great opportunity to show that you are interested in making a deeper connection with whatever you're planning on doing,” Zeleznik said.

This summer, Zeleznik is going to Interlochen Center of the Arts with the Pioneer High School (PHS) band, an annual tradition in which students from all four different bands can bond and play music together. Although Zeleznik plans on going into theater, not band, he still believes that the experience is invaluable.

“With musicals I think my background in band really helps. Because especially with band you get to play in a lot of different styles. Like, I'm in jazz band and symphony band, and so across those two we get to play in so many different musical styles,” Zeleznik said. “Each musical is written in completely different styles and even each song within a musical is in a different style, so it really helps with reading rhythms and learning notes and all that,” Zeleznik said.

Camps can be expensive though, especially if the campers stay overnight. Attending a camp may not be possible for all people. Brian Williams, a CHS counselor, believes that while summer camps are a great experience, they aren’t entirely necessary in order to get into college.

“I don't want anybody to feel like they have to pad their resume or really build up a transcript or the application if they have to pay money to do that,” Williams said. “To me, that's just inequitable. So for some students who do [summer camps], it works out great if they can afford to do it, but it's not a general requirement that colleges need to see.”

Williams points out that scholarships can be obtained in order to go to camp, and UM has some programs that cost less since they’re not overnight. There are also other ways to show your commitment and interest to colleges and universities without having to pay.

“[Colleges] like to see students who are engaged and working within the community,” Williams said. “It could be volunteering, it could be coaching, it could be any of those things that just shows somebody being engaged and being passionate about what gets them excited. That all goes a long way when it comes to looking at college admissions because they want to see well rounded, balanced students, and that looks different for every student.”

Williams also believes that colleges like to see a variety of students with different backgrounds. It’s part of his belief that there isn’t one particular path to get into a certain school.

However, Williams does think that summer camps are valuable experiences and worth attending.

“I think when you think about a camp setting, it's an experience,” Williams said. “[In] a camp setting, you're not only doing content, but you're working with [others]. When we go off into whatever career we do, rarely are we just isolated beings doing content, you know, we're working with other people. I do see the value in that kind of experience.”

Going to college may be nerve-wracking to some people. It’s a new world — one many high school students may have never gotten the chance to experience before. Getting into a school may seem daunting, but camps can allow people to explore your options while still having fun. They are also not completely necessary. There are other fun alternative options to express your interests.