By Billie Nagy
With third quarter over, many students are applying, or already have applied, to different summer programs around the world. We talked to some juniors about their plans regarding summer programs.
Sophie Kniaz, who was just accepted into the University of St. Andrews Scottish history program, is “looking forward to traveling to Scotland for three weeks and visiting important sites around the country!” While living by yourself for three weeks in Europe may seem a bit nerve wrecking for some, Sophie is simply enthralled “with learning history, traveling, and being able to study abroad in Scotland while learning about the country itself.” If she has one piece of advice, it would be to “make sure you find a program that you’re excited about! This is the perfect opportunity to find out what really interests you.”
Speaking of abroad programs, Noah Lewis, along a few other Tempe Prep students will be partaking in the Tempe Sister Cities foreign exchange program. This program, like other sister city exchanges, allows you to live with a family with a “brother or sister” student from a different country for five weeks, and when you return home you now host that student for five weeks in your country. Noah, who is looking forward to living in New Zealand during the program’s duration, says that “travel is a passion of mine, as is experiencing and understanding new peoples and cultures. TSC is well reputed and affordable, which is useful to those who cannot afford international vacations. Furthermore, it is simply a better experience to live with a family, rather than be a tourist.” Along his adventurous journey, Noah hopes to gain “an international experience that I will remember for a long time, as well as make lasting friendships and relationships with other students worldwide.” He “looks forward to not only traveling and the surprises that holds, but also returning to Tempe” and “showing off my country as well!” For students looking to participate in summer programs in the future, Noah remarks, “the best summer programs require you to work to get in,” and “interviews and essays will prove better preparation for adult life than simply buying into the program.”
Looking back into the states, Tiffanie Cappello Lee, Marisa Putrasahan, Kathy Riffle, and Quinn Collins are among numerous students applying to multiple programs over the summer. Tiffanie and Marisa both applied to the University of Notre Dame Summer Scholars Program, which offers programs of multiple areas of study, including life sciences, the humanities, anthropology, and speech and debate, is “a challenging yet worthwile experience if we both get into the programs we chose,” says Tiffanie, who applied for the life sciences/engineering/math program, while Marisa applied for the humanities/literature program. “If we were to be accepted into the program, not only would we have the opportunity to explore the specific areas of study that interest us, but we would also get a feel for what it’s like to live on such a well renowned university,” Marisa notes. While they both applied for this program, Tiffanie, along with Kathy, also applied to the University of Arizona Summer Engineering Academy. When asked why she applied for both, Tiffanie commented that “You should always, no matter what you’re doing, apply for many things and put yourself out there. There’s really no harm in trying out for many different things because you never know; you may only be accepted into one, so always go above and beyond when it comes to applying for things.” For Tiffanie and Kathy alike, the U of A summer engineering camp looks intriguing, as for only one week you essentially get to learn all the basics of engineering and sample each of the 13 different engineering majors the university has to offer. Kathy, who recently applied to the program, hopes to be accepted, as “engineering and math are truly what interest and excite me, and I believe that it would allow me to narrow my choices for an engineering major, as I could get a sense for which field of engineering I like the most.”
Kathy, Tiffanie, and Marisa all have excellent words of wisdom when it comes to summer programs. The consensus is to make sure to apply early, because you never know what opportunities may pass you by because of a deadline, and also, make sure you look into something that interests you and makes you happy. This is the perfect time to explore areas of study that you think you may like but you maybe are still unsure about, so apply for those!
Lastly, Quinn Collins, who applied to the Yale Young Global Scholars: Science, Policy, and Innovation Program, if accepted, is very much looking forward to “exploring Yale’s campus, as well as studying in different fields such as energy, global health, and the environment.” He believes that “this program is great for students who are looking to explore the many ways in which science and technology come together to create a sustainable future, and looking into the math and sciences at one of the world’s best universities.” We thank each of the juniors for their wonderful advice and wish them success with their summer programs and future aspirations!