Discovering Interests and Talents Through Summer Experiences

What Are the Possibilities?

Work side by side with a microbiologist 8 hours a day. Collaborate with playwrights and directors to produce a new play. Learn to fly a small plane. Be immersed in the world of music. Be a writer 12 hours a day, creating short stories, poems, essays, or a weekly newspaper. Study the ecosystems of coral reefs on daily dives in the Caribbean. Build a wooden sea kayak and paddle it along the Maine coast for 3 weeks. Learn to speak Arabic, Chinese, or Portuguese.

What Needs Do Summer Programs Meet?

The majority of summer experiences are designed to provide a pressure-free, noncompetitive environment in which young people can explore their areas of particular interest in depth. They have an opportunity to work with adult role models who are enthusiastic about their field and give individual support to each participant. Gifted students find it validating to be among peers who share their own excitement and skill level. They form bonds based on common interests with youth from around the country and the world. Many programs, especially outdoor adventures, help young people develop teamwork skills. For children whose abilities exceed those of their age mates, ungraded programs based on interest and skill rather than age provide a supportive and stimulating environment.

Summer is a perfect time to experiment--a time for young people to test out their interest level in a topic. By immersing themselves full time for a month or two in painting, architecture, marine biology, or laboratory research, they gain a realistic introduction to the content, demands, and life style of a career area they may be considering. Such an experience can be helpful in deciding whether they want to pursue a topic as a hobby or a main focus. Summer is also a time to try out an entirely new area that may not be available during the school year. If students choose a program on a college campus, they also have a chance to adjust to college courses, scheduling out-of-class time, and dorm life before the pressures of freshman year begin. These programs also provide an excellent opportunity to test out their assumptions about campus sizes and locations: They can experience day-to-day life on a small rural campus or in a large urban location before committing themselves to full-time enrollment.

Who Should Make the Selection?

Young people who are involved in every step of choosing a summer program have a more satisfying experience than youngsters who are placed in a program of their parents' or counselor's choice. Staff members and other participants can name the youngsters who show a lack of commitment to the program because it was someone else's idea.

The selection process itself can also provide a sense of accomplishment and closure for gifted students. In addition, researching and evaluating the possibilities and filling out the applications, some of which may require personal statements of interest, are excellent first steps toward the college selection and application process. Questions young people ask themselves in looking for summer programs are similar to questions they will ask in finding an appropriate college focus and atmosphere (Berger, 1989;1994).