Academic Camp is good for Everyone
Summer Academic Camps are incredibly beneficial for both the parent and the kid.
Camp used to be a rite of passage for kids in the summer. However, with COVID and changing habits, camp is not as popular.
Summer Academic camps focus on specific majors or STEM programs to get your child excited about the topics.
“Summer camp is a great opportunity to explore new things or dive deep into areas you love”
Here are four reasons academic camp is great for parents. With Academic camp you can:
Let go of your child. Help break that overbearing, helicoptering effect of constantly being connected to your child.
Get a taste of what it’s like to let your child go off to college. This period will give you a trial run for when your kids go off to college for real. Separation anxiety is real.
Have the satisfaction of knowing you raised your child well. She will do well, and you can take some solace that you had a part in that.
This will give you alone time with your partner. A full break.
Okay, that’s how it’s good for parents, now nine reasons Academic camp is excellent for kids.
Camp lets them:
Try out what they are thinking about for a college major choice. Camp helps kids build a unique interest. For example, High School introductory engineering classes can spark interest but letting them taste college classes with an actual professor is fantastic. Better to spend a few thousand to kick the tires at camp vs. a full year of tuition.
Try out the food. It may not be the same food service they will have during college, but it will give them a sense of college food service. Not always like mom’s home cooking!
Try out campus living. How are the dorms? Are they air-conditioned (trust me, it is just as hot in July as it can be in early August and April while classes are still in session)? Are the bathrooms communal or in the rooms? All aspects of daily college life they need to get used to.
Get that immersive experience for college. They may have older siblings or friends that have gone to college, and they have gotten that experience, but there is nothing like the first-hand experience.
See potentially what their future classmates will be like. Most likely, the other campers are interested in that school and or major.
Understand the admissions processes. Like Rose Hulman’s Operation Catapult, some camps I know have an application process for getting into camp. As a result, everything is not a slam dunk.
Try out the professors and upper-level students at the school. Most of the professors and counselors are probably on staff and will be their future classmates and professors.
Get experience handling the mundane college stuff, laundry, getting enough sleep, getting to the cafeteria on time, getting to the events on time. It isn’t a free for all as there are counselors and guardrails on what they can do.
Learn how to can spend their own money on stuff! For example, budgeting a small amount of money on snacks or things in the bookstore is a great way to teach your child the value of money.
Okay, it’s good for you and your child, so here are few bonus items to get them off on the right foot.
Reinforce that they already know the right things to do and feel confident following their own principles.
Have them pack their stuff. (it is okay to let them forget some things, just not something important). Reinforces responsibility and consequences (hey, have you heard of a checklist).
Shows them to see the impact of planning or at least thinking it out.
What was your experience with summer camp?