text: In many ways, the future for today's children is unlike the life they live now in school. There will no longer be someone to give them instructions for every task, and many projects are completely controlled and monitored by the person creating it. School is designed to prepare students for the real world, yet many find themselves lost by the time they must complete their own study or presentation in college. While it may be difficult to recreate these circumstances in high school, a summer project gives students adequate time to thoroughly research and involve themselves in their project. One may find themselves discovering new topics that they were not previously aware of. Whereas without the freedom to follow their own direction, they would become trapped with the same topic and format as everyone else.