International Student's Abroad

How do you spend your summers? Do you enroll in classes to keep up with your studies? Do you travel and take time to relax?

Summer months in the U.S. are June, July and August here in the United States. Schools typically begin in September and end mid-June. This leaves two and a half months for people to enjoy the warmer weather, experience life at a more leisurely pace, travel and go to the beach – whether at a lake or by the ocean.

Some may wonder why Americans close schools during the summer while in many countries, schools stay open most of the year. History shows that children long ago were expected to work on their family farms during the summer, and thus, the school year ended to allow for this. Many, including President Obama, believe the American educational system needs to change its requirements and keep schools open longer.

The chart below shows the average number of days children attend school in different countries. You can see that the U.S. ranks low on this list.

   

So what do American children do during the summer months?

Many children are enrolled in summer programs that feature sports, creativity, and/or travel.

Summer camp is a common phenomenon in the U.S. – day camps and overnight camps. There are all female, all male and coed camps – some are specialized, featuring sports, art, nature or technology. Others are more general in nature, combining all features and include swimming and camping. Most towns offer camp programs for children and offer a range of activities. See http://www.summercamps.com/for more information.

Adults often reserve their vacation time for the summer months so they can enjoy time with their children while they are off from school. Travel, whether by car, train, bus or air is common, and many families can be seen touring the United States during the summer.

If you have the opportunity to come a bit early to the United States, take time to enjoy the summer months as the citizens of the U.S. do. The warmer climate allows the opportunity for you to travel too. This may be the first time you have had extended leisure time, so let your hair down (slang for relax) and take a towel or blanket and picnic lunch to a park or beach. Visit this link to find a park near you: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htmAfter all, school will begin in September and soon enough you will find yourself in the classroom and library studying.