5 Advantages of Attending a Pre-College Summer Program

BY EVIE COOPER

 

What are your plans for the summer? It could be that you want to relax and take it easy with your friends after a busy semester at school. Maybe you’re planning to earn a little money with a summer job. Or maybe you’re heading off to see a little of the world during your free time.

Another option certainly worth considering is a pre-college summer program, available at a number of colleges across the country. Students thinking ahead to college applications or those still pondering what their lives after school might look like, stand to learn a lot from such an experience. It’s an opportunity to gather the information you need to make an educated decision about your future.

Here are five advantages of attending a pre-college summer program:

You Get a Real Life College Experience

Sure, you’ve heard about college life from older friends. And you’ve seen it depicted endlessly on TV and in the movies. But until you experience it for yourself, it’s difficult to imagine whether you’ll enjoy it or not.

The right pre-college summer program will give you a taster of all aspects of college life. That means living away from your family and friends, staying on campus, attending classes and being totally responsible for yourself. How you feel about the experience will help you to choose a particular college or a different path altogether.

You Learn About College Facilities at a Particular College

Attending a college you’re thinking of applying to is a great idea. That means you don’t need to rely on just one open day to get a sense of the place you’ll be hoping to spend the next few years in. Instead, you can get to know your prospective college over a number of weeks and determine whether it’s really the place for you.

During this time you can find out about the facilities and familiarise yourself with the learning opportunities available. You may get to meet a few undergraduates and you’ll certainly get a sense of the town or city you’re thinking of moving to. This all makes it much less likely that you’ll drop out in your first semester of college, surprised by the course or the college you’ve chosen.

You Can Prepare for Tests

During the school year, it can be difficult to find time to prepare for your SAT and ACT exams. As a result, some colleges offer exam preparation as part of their pre-college summer courses. Combining study of a few different subjects with a college experience and a little exam prep, can be a really structured and productive way to spend a few weeks of your summer.

It Helps you Stay Focused

We all need a little downtime from time to time. But it’s also important to start a new school term with the drive and determination it requires. A pre-college summer program will allow you to keep your brain and your study skills ticking over, making them more ready and raring to go at the start of a new semester.

You Get Used to Meeting New People

Attending a pre-college summer program, you’ll meet new people from across the country. They could become lifelong friends if you meet again as undergraduates. And, even if you choose different paths for the years to come, you’ll have learnt valuable skills that will help you to be confident and make new friends if or when you move to college.

There are lots of reasons to choose a pre-college summer program. Meet new people, get to know a college and brush up on your exam skills too.  If you are thinking about attending colleges, why not give a pre-college summer program a try?

 

About Evie:

Evie Cooper is a lifelong learner, a green living enthusiast and a careers and education blogger. She constantly juggles her home duties and her work at UK Area Code, and often shares her career and productivity tips with both the experts and the people who are just entering the workforce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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