How Summer School Can Prepare High Schoolers for College
There are many benefits for high school and middle school students when they attend a summer program like Brooks School Summer Programs.
Contrary to popular belief, attending a summer learning program isn’t just for students who underperformed in the previous school year. In addition to providing an extra hand outside of the traditional school year, summer school allows high schoolers and middle schoolers to exceed expectations and prepare for more advanced college courses.
Summer school has been around and offered educational benefits for centuries, and offers supplemental learning opportunities to further explore their academic strengths and weaknesses.
Here’s how summer school can prepare your high schooler for college and your middle schooler for their time in high school.
How Does Summer School Work?
Brooks Summer School Programs offers a traditional summer camp experience, but it’s much more than that. Brooks School provides a co-educational, college preparatory program for 380 students on a 270-acre campus overlooking Lake Cochichewick.
During the academic year, Brooks is defined by small classes that allow students to work closely with teachers, fostering a relationship that is at the core of the warm, close-knit community. We offer a variety of courses, focusing on academic enrichment and student-centered learning.
At summer school, Brooks students experience a well-rounded curriculum, with courses in English, Math, programming, robotics, and SSAT — overseen and taught by our experienced program team.
From 9 am – 12 pm each day, students will attend classes. You can build the course schedule that works best for your child’s needs. For the second half of the day, from 12:30 pm – 4 pm, they have the option to return home, or middle schoolers can transition can transition into day camp to socialize outside with their peers, learn skills, and explore interests outside of the classroom.
Does Summer School Affect High School GPA?
Summer schools gives students the opportunity to raise their GPA. If they received an unsatisfactory grade in any of their classes during the traditional school year, they can make it up in summer school to achieve a higher grade and increase their GPA. This, in turn, will increase their chances of getting into colleges of their choice.
Do Summer Programs Look Good for College?
Attending summer programs is a great way to stand out during college applications. At summer school, students get to explore skills and fields of interest as they begin to plan for college and possible careers.
But summer school also looks great on college applications — “they demonstrate a love of learning and show a student’s desire to immerse themselves in interesting subjects.”
Having a summer program on your child’s resume means they’re illustrating their dedication to education and striving for increased performance and experience.
How Long is Summer School?
At Brooks, summer school is broken up into two three-week sessions spanning from June through August. Choose one or multiple sessions — including full days and half days — that work best with your schedule. Our first summer school session begins at the end of June.
Summer School Success Story
Student Miles Summerson has been part of Brooks Summer Programs for just about as far back as he can remember. Today, the 16-year-old rising junior credits a good deal of his academic success to his parents, hard work, and the Brooks Summer School.
Summerson first joined Brooks Summer Programs as a camper at Brooks Summer Day Camp when he was in kindergarten. Years later, his family heard about the Brooks Summer School from friends. In preparation for taking the SSAT – the test that private, independent, and parochial schools require for entrance – Summerson enrolled in summer school as a rising seventh grader.
“Summer school opens up a lot of opportunities,” said Summerson. “It really helped me hone in on skills I needed to learn.”
In his first summer sessions, Summerson took classes in SSAT math, creative writing, and SSAT English. Each of the three-week SSAT courses reviewed the content of the tests, taught test-taking strategies, and ended with significantly increased scores for him. Meanwhile, Summerson learned persuasive and creative writing skills for use on the SSAT’s essay, on his school application requirements, and with his middle school classes.
Several months later, Summerson applied to a number of private schools, ultimately deciding to attend Brooks School where he says he enjoys all types of classes, is part of the baseball and squash teams, and enjoys outdoor activities.
“The camp and summer school really shaped who I am,” he said.
This year, Summerson is back at Brooks Summer School, focusing on getting into his top colleges by taking prep classes in SAT English and SAT math. He has taken diagnostic tests, set goals for his test scores, and learned a number of strategies to maximize his potential.
“Summer School has been really good,” he said. “I like the material, and it has helped me get a grasp of the SAT.”
We’re so proud of Miles and his journey here at Brooks, and we’re pleased to witness the confidence he’s built through our summer programs as he prepares for college!
Enroll in Summer Classes Today
If your child is ready to strengthen their skills and feel confident going into college or high school, the Brooks Summer School is excited to welcome you to our program! We offer a variety of courses, focusing on academic enrichment and student-centered learning.
Small class sizes, limited to a maximum of twelve students per class, and highly qualified instructors, create the perfect learning environment to advance academically. Through our extensive portfolio of both traditional and advanced courses, Brooks creates a tailored academic environment that is right for your child.
Register today while there are still spots available. See you this summer!
