By Celeste Brooks, Director of Public Relations
The end of the school year is here for many districts, and now students and parents across the country are facing the dilemma:
What can a high school student do for the summer?
Maybe you didn’t get a job like you wanted, that overseas trip fell through, or your grades aren’t as high as you want them. Whatever the reason, if you now find yourself looking for summer options, allow me to suggest… summer school.
For those of you who didn’t run screaming from the room, allow me to share a few reasons that summer school for high school students is a good idea.
- Impress the college admission officer.
Let’s say you’re a stellar student with nothing to do this summer. What’s one of the most common questions a college admission counselor asks? “What did you do during your summers?” They want to know that you’re motivated when you’re not required to be somewhere! So if you aren’t travelling, volunteering, or working, this provides another good option, and shows you’re serious about your education.
- Your high school is offering an awesome elective, but you don’t have room in your schedule for it.
Come join us for four weeks and take a core course as a “new” course, and earn a full credit in four weeks. You can do it with English 10, English 11, French I, French II, Spanish I, Spanish II, World History II, U.S. History, Biology, Chemistry, Algebra I, Geometry, and Comparative Religions. Get one of those checked off for next year and open up a slot in your schedule. Problem solved!
- You want to try something new, but in a low-pressure sort of way.
We have electives that will earn you a half-credit each (you can take two during the four weeks), but no one said you have to transfer the credits back to your high school! Come try out Filmmmaking, Creative Writing, or Public Speaking. Or how about College Writing, Design Concepts for Engineering, or Personal Finance? Or maybe you just need to brush up on something without worrying about the grade—we have SAT Prep, Study Skills, and Computer Literacy. Again, whether to transfer the credit back to your high school is your choice!
- That final report card made Mom (or Dad, or you) cry.
Okay, that statement is extreme. I was just trying to get your attention. But let’s face it, sometimes that final report card is a disappointment. That doesn’t necessarily mean you failed, just that you didn’t get the grade you expected of yourself. You know you can do better than that. Right? Summer school lets you prove it. You can repeat up to two classes in the four-week period, and we offer most core courses required for graduation: English 9, 10, and 11; Spanish I and II; French I and II; World History I and II; U.S. History; U.S. Government; Algebra I and II; Geometry; Pre-Calculus; Biology; and Chemistry.
Sure, it’s tempting to spend your summer relaxing, and you probably deserve it. But look at it this way: our summer school is only four weeks, July 5-31. You still have the rest of your summer to enjoy everything else!
Oh, one disclaimer: these classes all had openings at the time this blog was written. But at this time of year, we get several summer school applications each day, so we can’t guarantee all of these classes will be available by the time you read this! If you’re interested in a specific class, please contact us at admission@rma.edu or 540-636-5484.