Ludlow, Vermont is a quiet town and, admittedly, not a worldwide vacation destination…yet. For most people, it presents the opportunity to toboggan and cruise from Okemo’s peak through gladed trails and expansive wonderlands of snow. Zinkerz has been exponentially working towards improving the experience for a select group of tourists within this small, New England town: our students. Besides giving students the opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of their home city in exchange for a more serene environment, here are five more reasons why YOU should consider attending Winter Camp: tour campuses around Boston and New England, gain new perspectives before entering into the independence of college, make exciting friends, develop test taking skills to crush the SAT, TOEFL, and AP tests, and try new things to learn more about yourself.
Campus Tours:
Did you know that Bentley University has its own trading room? Or that Babson is home to expansive operations to help young entrepreneurs develop their own business strategies as well as what was once the world’s largest spinning globes? Or that Brown University, despite being an Ivy League school, doesn’t give out letter grades to its students within its Open Curriculum? Either you knew some of these or you learned something new in only the second paragraph of this blog – so it’s already a success! These topics and an immeasurable amount more will be covered during tours led by Modi and the Zinkerz chaperones as we traverse what a college experience in America could look like for our students.
It’s important for both international and American students to have the opportunity to visit schools that intrigue their academic minds. These institutions will be a student’s home for four of their most developmental years, and visiting the physical campus allows potential students to visualize their lives as a Falcon, Beaver, Bear, and more. A school could be fifty miles or fifteen-hundred miles away from a student’s hometown and deliver an entirely different atmosphere or vibe from the one that they’re accustomed to from childhood. Not to mention, instead of being surrounded by faces that they’ve known since kindergarten, students will be entering into a world composed mostly of new names and identities – being on a campus where a student feels comfortable is vital to their ability to confidently expand their social circle and to study contentedly.
A happy student is a successful student. With Winter Camp through Zinkerz, you will be able to visit schools in the northeastern United States – arguably the most academically dense area in the entire world. Visiting these schools will help align a student’s goals and desires when it comes to the competitive schools that they’re thinking of applying to and allow them to figure out the campus, not just the administrative website, that fits their personality and dreams the best.
Gain New Perspectives:
Hermann von Keyserling said that “the shortest path to oneself leads around the world.” To accompany this quote, Rice University, in conjunction with Columbia University and the University of North Carolina, conducted a study surrounding frequent travelers and those who spent considerable time abroad, concluding that visiting new parts of the world allows travelers to better recognize their values within society.
What does all of this mean? Zinkerz Winter Camp is going to be held in a small town in Vermont. So, for students from large cities or from addresses outside of the United States, a change in their daily way of life can be a helpful reminder of where they can make changes in their overall lives and best help their families and communities. Whether you’ve visited America before or live in a different part of the country like Dallas, San Diego, or Miami, further experience in a new environment is a chance for students to understand customs that, at first, appear strange or confusing. Everybody here always answers “how’s it going?” with a simple “good” and services their true feelings through facial expressions. What does this say about an individual’s empathy and compassion? If you’re from a culture where tipping isn’t traditional, how does it feel to add eighteen or twenty percent onto a bill at a restaurant? For our students from tropical climates, this can even be a chance to adjust to new seasons. Learn how soft snow is, that yellow snow isn’t lemon-flavored, and that wind can be your worst enemy in January. Embracing a new style of life will force a student to further examine how their individualized approach to others can be altered or improved.
And for students from New England, this is a chance to develop a sense of guiding leadership. With the new friends that you will make at Winter Camp, which will be discussed further in one flap of a ladybug’s wing, you’ll be able to aid in their understanding of Dunkin’ as a religion, why a greeting can sound like an insult, and more easily gain comfort in these unfamiliar and snowy surroundings in Vermont.
When a student graduates high school and ventures off to college, they’re going to be confronted with a new sense of independence from menial tasks like doing laundry all the way to life skills like interacting with others from all different backgrounds and ideologies – Winter Camp is an introduction to developing these wisdoms prior to college.
Make Friends:
All around the world, fifteen to eighteen year olds are devotedly working towards college acceptances and test-taking dates. Despite this fact, it’s easy for an individual to become enthralled in their own mind and life. That is to say: it’s easy to forget that they and their community are not alone in this educational journey. Zinkerz Winter Camp brings together students from the United States, Central and South America, Europe, and more, creating a globally diverse community of students who share stunningly similar interests and paths.
All of our students will be coming for these same reasons: to have fun while learning strategies and more about topics covered for the SAT and AP exams – which we will touch on in two shakes of a can of shaving cream. Within this camaraderie, a covalent bond is created between our students as they converse and share realizations that their similarities and commonalities can create lasting friendships. Throughout the entire graduating and application processes, if a student gets tired of hearing from Modi or our college counselors, they can have this new support group of campers with whom they are able to reach out and share advice. Many students might even find themselves at the same college in the future and already having a friend on campus from day one!
In a scenario where everyone finds themselves being the new kid, it’s almost like nobody is the new kid. Zinkerz Winter Camp is a spectacular setting for students to share anecdotes, ideas, and friendly gestures with a new social circle: be sure to make the most of it!
Standardized Test Studying:
When applying to schools in the United States, though many schools are turning to a test-optional strategy, a noteworthy performance on a standardized test like the AP exams and the SAT will bolster a student’s resume and can even help them earn college credit before their entrance to school. Yes, you may be thinking “ugh, I hate tests, they’re so boring! My dream job is to be a Snapchat filter anyway, why do I have to do this?!” but our expert teachers and staff will be at camp to make sure that the classes are engaging and productive for each student to ensure they have the best chance possible of getting into the school of their dreams.
The days at Winter Camp will be spent skiing, snowboarding, collaborating, and traveling to different colleges. The perfect way to wind down before dinner for our students is to engage in individualized and customized classes to help them learn strategies and tips to dominate standardized testing as well as additional and in-depth studies within the topics and subjects regarding the SAT and their various AP exams from economics to computer science, psychology, languages, calculus/statistics, and more. On average, our students have been able to increase their SAT scores by over one hundred and fifty points and are able to score a whole point higher on their AP exams.
For international students that come to Winter Camp, we even host classes for the TOEFL exam. In order to enroll in an American university from a country where English is not the dominant language, the school is going to require proof of a student’s proficiency in English. Almost every class at college here will be taught in English, so schools want to ensure that a student will be able to succeed in this kind of environment. Scored out of one hundred and twenty points, we recommend a student be able to score at least a one hundred to prove their English proficiency in writing, listening, reading, and speaking. Our classes in preparation for a TOEFL exam will be able to boost a student’s scoring – ensuring that they can apply to whatever colleges they desire.
Try New Things:
Never been skiing before? Don’t worry! Even as a Boston-based company, we have some employees who don’t know how to ski either. Do you like butter? Then you’ll love lobster! The Celtics may not have traded for Kevin Durant, but the team is still exciting on the court following an NBA Finals runner-up finish behind Jayson Tatum (Duke Class of 2020) and Jaylen Brown (UC-Berkeley Class of 2019).
No matter where you’re from or what your background is, every student is bound to experience something new and different while at Zinkerz Winter Camp. Just as travel helps a student figure out their introspective qualities, trying new activities and scenarios will allow them to expand their thinking and their interests. A new skier can find a new sport that they love for their whole life or a newfound appreciation for the wilderness, extending to summertime activities outside like fly fishing, cycling, or golfing. The culinary aspect of taking a crustacean from the ocean floor and turning it into a regional delicacy, known all over the world, can spark an intrigue in culinary arts or, even more broadly, a curiosity to explore where people haven’t explored before. The first person who ate a lobster may have seemed crazy, but Dr. Joseph E. Murray (Holy Cross Class of 1940) probably seemed crazy when he attempted the first kidney transplant and that now saves countless lives each year.
Trying something new, inevitably, will seem scary or worrisome at first. But, after leaning forward and cruising down the mountain, a student’s mindset can be changed to aim for better habits and a more open view of the world. At Zinkerz Winter Camp, new opportunities are always around the corner.
Students may look forward to Zinkerz Winter Camp as an outlet to make friends and hit the slopes. Parents will look forward to seeing their studies paying off and grade improvements. The truth is that both of these experiences will come to fruition in Vermont with Zinkerz Winter Camp. In a quiet town, there will be few distractions from study sessions and its location is perfect for understanding a new culture in New England. Reserve your spot as soon as possible to come meet your future! Do it, or you’re uninvited to my birthday party!
