This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Stanford’s Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes for creative writing! It was such an extraordinary, and, not to sound cliché, but, life-changing 3 weeks that I consider myself lucky to have experienced. To introduce the program, Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies (SPCS) offers numerous courses in which middle and high schoolers can apply for, ranging from creative writing to astrochemistry to political science. If accepted, students will get the chance to spend 3 weeks on Stanford’s campus, learning about that specific course from a professional in that field and college students who are majoring/minoring in or relating to that subject.
Before going, I was really nervous to be away from home for 3 weeks and to live with a bunch of strangers, but upon arriving there, I knew I was going to have a great time. A group of people literally came to my dorm room to greet me on my very first day! It was unlike any first day I’ve had; it was so extremely welcoming, my fear of not finding anyone to sit with disappeared quickly. The first night, our entire dorm house played icebreaker games to get to know one another, which I think helped with the settling in process. It was during those games I met the two people who would go on to become some of my best friends there. Getting adjusted to a surrounding of new people is not easy, but Stanford somehow managed to make it feel like a family in about a week. I recognize that this is good practice for college, when I’ll be living with a group of students, miles away from home. But if it’s anything like this, I know for sure I’ll have a blast.
3 weeks may seem like forever, but trust me, when you’re there, 3 weeks will have felt like 3 days. You know what they say about how time flies when you’re having fun. Imagine living with your best friends every day, that’s what it’s like. And I know it’s cheesy, but the memories you make there will definitely last you a lifetime. Stanford does an amazing job of keeping things interesting, I don’t remember being bored once; there was always something to do. On Saturdays, we had off-campus field trips–they took us to San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art and the beach–and on Sundays, it was more relaxed, we had a carnival day and a s’mores bonfire. Sometimes, if there were events happening in Stanford, we’d get a chance to go to them. For us, it was listening to the Zora string quartet! Other than that, there were organized activities every afternoon such as sports, crafts or movies, and during the evenings, there was always free time for you to explore the beautiful campus.
On weekdays, I had classes every morning and study periods in the afternoon. We had homework, yes, but it was enjoyable work, believe it or not (that exists). That’s one of the reasons why this program was so great, you’re there doing things you actually want to do, unlike school where you learn what the education board decides. At SPCS, you choose your own course, you get to do what you like and you’re surrounded by people with the same interests. Nobody was complaining about how boring the class was or how much they didn’t want to learn it; everyone there had some sort of passion towards the course they were enrolled in. It was different from anything I had ever experienced, being in a class full of kids who were excited about the same things as me. We all helped each other with revising our work and bouncing ideas off one another. It was honestly unforgettable, I wish every single class in my school was like this.
One thing I think I’ll remember most will definitely be the people I met. When the counsellors told us at the beginning that the friendships we’d make there would last a lifetime, I was like “yeah, right”, but near the end of the camp, I began to realize how much the friends I made really affected me. I had never been with so many caring, kind, smart, fun and thoughtful people in my life, it didn’t hit me until the night before departure day that I would never see them again and it absolutely broke my heart. Especially our final goodbyes and words of encouragement; it was a waterfall of tears. But as I left, all I tried to think about was that quote from Dr. Seuss: “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened”, and that’s what I think is important.
This camp had been the time of my life and of course, I’m sad that it’s finished, but the memories from Stanford will be around forever. I highly suggest taking a look at Stanford’s Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes for your next summer. It’ll be worth it 100%, I promise. x