While summer break is often imagined as a time of rest and relaxation, for many students at Carlmont High School, summer has become a race to fill the months with classes, programs, and college preparation, driven by growing academic competition.
As expectations around college admissions intensify, students are increasingly treating summer as an extension of the school year, using the time to plan and build towards future goals. Jessica Sun, a Carlmont junior, plans to spend her summer managing the demands of senior year in advance.
“I know that the first semester is going to be very challenging since I have to balance classes, workloads, finals, and college applications if I don’t finish them during the summer,” Sun said.
For many students, including Sun, planning ahead was also a decision shaped by multiple external influences.
“I think the pressure to be productive also comes from school and family because in school you’re going to be pressured to be as good as your classmates,” Sun said. “I feel pretty left behind because my friends are going to very prestigious summer programs, which I feel like hold more value.”
This sense of pressure has become more pronounced in recent years as summer opportunities grow increasingly competitive.
“I’ve noticed that there’s been a trend where college applications and summer programs have been much more competitive compared to past years, so you have to do much more just to stand out,” Sun said. “Students are held at a much higher bar than before.”
At the same time, summer can serve as an opportunity to explore academic interests that are not fully defined. Adrienne Ashcraft, a Carlmont sophomore, plans to attend a pre-college program at Brown University.
“I think this program will let me know if I want to go into a design-related major. Even though I won’t have as much time during the summer, it’s helpful that the program I’m doing is interesting to me,” Ashcraft said.
Ashcraft added that summer programs often serve both personal and strategic purposes.
“It definitely looks good, and if it’s a super competitive program, it will help when I apply for colleges,” Ashcraft said. “I feel like right now the college landscape is super competitive, and if you don’t take full advantage of your summer, you fall behind.”
This trend is also reflected in broader observations from school staff, who have noted an increased interest in summer planning among students across grade levels.
“I have noticed more students over the past few years inquiring about summer opportunities such as internships and concurrent enrollment at community college,” said Matthew Ledesma, a Carlmont counselor. “Instead of ramping up the amount of summer programs they do each subsequent school year, students should be able to use the summer as a mental reset.”
However, he also noted that colleges generally understand that students have different levels of access to opportunities, and that summer does not follow a single formula for success.
Despite differences in how students approach summer and the underlying sense of obligation, many emphasize finding a balance between the break and continuing academic goals.
“I see a lot of people lately asking for letters of recommendation for jobs or internships, as they struggle to maintain their academic standing in their classes,” said Shelley Bustamante, the coordinator for the Students Offering Support program and the director of Carlmont’s Teen Wellness Center. “We are seeing more panic episodes as the year is winding down.”
According to Bustamante, students benefit most when they actively make space for rest, rather than treating breaks as extensions of academic pressure.
“Students need to live in the present as much as possible, take mindful breaks, drink plenty of water, and eat healthy food,” Bustamante said. “They need to make good choices for their bodies and minds to create good memories.”
Ultimately, many students have come to describe summer as a time for rest that still leaves space for future planning.
“It is a break because the workload over summer is definitely not as stressful compared to the workload in school, and I can allocate more time towards resting and preparing for next year’s stress,” Sun said. “However, it also doesn’t feel like a complete break because I still feel obligated to do schoolwork.”
