Magna Cum Laude

Spend the Summer Studying? Are you Kidding?

Volume 2 / Issue 1 / Fall 2001

Summer programs for academically gifted students have proliferated in the last decade, largely because efficient and widespread identification services are available through regional talent search programs. Universities and colleges sponsor most summer programs. Given the myriad opportunities, parents may wonder what the benefits of participation in summer programs are and how to select the right one for their child.

Why Participate in a Summer Program?

Many gifted children are interested in subjects beyond what their schools offer and are not challenged by the regular curriculum. However, limited local out-of-school opportunities and easy A’s can bring great costs in the future. Children who are not challenged often fail to develop appropriate study habits and organizational skills. While they may sail through grammar school with little effort, they are likely to encounter academic challenges during high school and/or college for which they are unprepared. Since success in any field is largely the result of hard work, children need academic challenges to develop these skills. Summer programs, if chosen carefully, can provide the necessary opportunities.

The interaction one has with other bright children in these programs is also valuable. All children need and want to fit in and have friends. But some gifted children may not find other children who share their interests or match their intellectual level. Summer programs, particularly residential ones, enable them to interact with and form friendships with intellectual peers, with whom they often keep in touch for years afterward.

Certain personality traits, such as emotional sensitivity, emotional intensity, and perfectionism, are thought to accompany high intelligence. As a result, gifted children may experience the world differently from other children. They tend to be more tuned in to world events; to be more aware of injustice, moral issues, and other typically adult concerns; and to worry more about them. Contact with other children who have similar reactions and experiences can help gifted children feel “normal,” foster self-acceptance in them, and give them creative outlets for strong feelings and emotions.

In addition, residential summer programs can help gifted children acquire independent living skills and, if held on a college campus, may expose them to higher education. Summer programs offer children contact with a culturally diverse group of peers, since participants often come from all over the United States and from abroad. Such programs can enable children to take some advanced classes early, making room in their regular school schedules for other advanced classes or allowing them to graduate early. Finally, some summer programs offer unique experiences that students cannot get in their schools, such as collaborative research with college professors or foreign study.

How to Choose a Summer Program

Before you and your child begin to search for a summer program, decide whether he or she is interested in taking a course for enrichment or for acceleration through the curriculum in a content area (e.g., algebra 2). Ask the school counselor about credit and placement, if your child wants to take a course to fulfill a requirement.

Timeline for Summer Program Planning
September–October	Have your child reflect on the reasons to attend a summer program.
November–December	Inform the school counselor that your child would like to attend a summer program. Search for programs via the Internet or books.
January–February	Choose a program.
February	Apply to the program.
March–April	Inform the school of your child’s intention to participate in a summer program. If necessary, meet with the school counselor to discuss credit and placement.

If your child’s main goal is to find friends, look for a residential program at least two weeks long. To find an academically challenging program, look for one that has selective admissions and provides advanced, accelerated courses. To fulfill a requirement, first find out what information the program will give your child or send to his or her school.

Select and apply to a program by the beginning of February. Many well-established programs send out their brochures in early January and are full by mid-April. Apply early to get your child’s first choice.
—Paula Olszweski-Kubilius, Ph.D.

Paula Olszweski-Kubilius is executive director of the Center for Talent Development at Northwestern University.