Disclaimer: This is based on my personal opinion, and experience. Not everyone will feel this way or have the same experience.
A lot of times, when you are in High School and you show a special interest in something or you are decently good at it, you will get invited to summer programs to help "develop" your skills. I eat, sleep, and breathe politics. It's honestly one of my favorite things. So, I like many other high schoolers with special interest, was sent information about various summer programs and camps for those of us who where special enough to get invited.
So, that's how I ended up at a month long, can't go home, program. This program sounded right up my alley. I would be taking classes I'm actually interested in, would be introduced to new things, and it would look great on college applications. I was over the moon excited, all I wanted to do was learn about the things I wanted to.
I walked into the month long program thinking I'd leave with lifelong friends who where just like me.. And that's definitely not what happened.
The month I spent at this program was the lonliest month of my life.
Apparently, the nerdiest people make the biggest cliques. And, when you come from a comprehensively small school, with little opportunities compared to these Ivy League bond students you won't fit in. And, like most high school groups, there where popular people who where friends with everyone. Essentially, everyone become a group of loosely connected friend groups, and I just didn't fit in.
I was hurt. I thought that I would be surrounded by like minded people, and I would thrive. And sure, we were all Global thinkers and civic minded, but some how, I ended up working on a project on July 4th, not hanging out in the commons with everyone else.
My time in that program taught me something. You have to make the best of every situation, and in my situation I tried to throw myself into my education. I took good notes, I tried to study, I read as much as I could. If I wasn't going to have many friends, I was going to work my butt off.
And, I think I'm better for it. I have some friends from the program I still keep up with, but as I was packing to leave for Temple, I found my notes from the classes I took. And I realized, all my classes directly relate to what I'm about to spend the next four years studying.
"Smart Kid" camps are great, especially for someone like me who had a weird interest. My school didn't offer many classes related to what I liked, so I felt blessed to be able to study these things. And I hope that others will be able to gain the same lessons I did.