text: Another reason why summer projects should be student-designed is the fact that it engages students to be self-reliant. Given the freedom to pursue one's take on a subject, helps foster self-confidence. In my high school experience, doing a personal research that was interesting really helped create a sense of pride and accomplishment. Being confident leads to trusting one's ability rather than relying on others;and in our competitive society for careers, self-reliance is extremely important. Furthermore, allowing students to pursue their own designs lets them mature into adulthood. The apex of self reliance is adulthood and self learning is meant to teach and prepare students for their future. By removing the dependency of a teacher when doing a project, self support truly shines through, giving students hands on experience on the hallmark of adulthood. This is similar to the concept of parents not supporting a baby for too long so they can learn to walk on their own.