Sophomores
Sophomore Summer Experiences
We’re excited to have you join Summer Search and to offer you a Summer Experience! As a Summer Searcher you receive a scholarship to participate in a meaningful and explorative summer experience. This scholarship covers the cost of the program, most equipment, and transportation.
Your Sophomore Summer Experience is typically a 1 - 4 week outdoor adventure on the East Coast of the U.S. We partner with a select few incredible organizations that allow Summer Searchers to connect and bond with others, explore identity in a safe space, and challenge themselves as much as they’d like.
We believe that through a Summer Experience, you'll have the opportunity to try something new & get out of your comfort zone. Apply your strengths in new ways, connect with others & form new friendships, discover what you’re capable of, focus on yourself, & explore who you want to become!
2025 programs
This summer, we're excited to offer a variety of experiences! Depending on your hopes and aspirations for next summer, we have a variety of programs that fall within five themes: Arts, Cultural Immersion/Service Learning, Internship, and Wilderness & Outdoor Education.
Below are the specific programs we're partnering with for Summer 2025. Click on their links to learn more about each partner, what activities they offer, and links to check-out their websites.
Arts Programs
Located in New Jersey
Choose & participate in a wide range of art workshops
Opportunity to stay overnight at camp
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At Appel Farm, students participate in a 1- or 2-week arts-based camp experience focused on process-based learning, radical acceptance, and enjoying the classic overnight summer camp experience.
Cultural Immersion & Service Learning
Travel by train to Massachusetts
Engage in the local community
Includes a service project that supports the larger community or a local organization
Service can range in intensity and will either span across the entire program or last just a few days
NY REAL ID required for interstate travel
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Shoulder-to-Shoulder: Dartmouth is a 1-week course in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts where you will learn about sustainable farming, food systems, and climate change while supporting a working farm for your community service project.
Internship Programs
Paid, local program
Groups are small or students work individually
Learn to add an intersectional dimension to your writing and analysis
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College Now: John Jay will offer the unique opportunity for students to earn $300 while taking a college level course on the John Jay Manhattan campus.
Wilderness & Outdoor Education Programs
Some of our outdoor partners & programs are day-camps!
Opportunities mostly stay within the Northeast
Our Global Routes: Hawaii program and Teton Science Schools program travel to the West!
NY REAL ID needed for interstate travel
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APEX aims to educate and inspire an appreciation for the Central Appalachian ecoregion through adventure, community, and sustainable living skills. Sophomores will participate in our All-Summer Search Expedition!
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From the Chewonki base camp located in Wiscasset, Maine, students will embark on 2-week multi-element expeditions that combine sailing, backpacking, canoeing, hiking, and wilderness survival. Emphasis on leadership development, natural history, and local ecology.
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Explore a national park with our Global Routes programs! Learn wilderness hard skills as well as conservation and sustainability basics.
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This 2-week program focuses on farming, canoeing, hiking, and climbing in and around Marlow, New Hampshire. Kroka students learn about ecology, geology, and survival skills.
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Experience two weeks of canoeing and backpacking in New York's Adirondack Park. Teens in on NOLS’s Summer Search-only trip learn leadership while paddling, hiking, and camping.
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Soul Trak Outdoors is a D.C.-based nonprofit organization. This is a 1-week experiential hiking, camping, and backpacking program created in partnership with the Shenandoah Park Trust.
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Team Wilderness is a day-only, local, 2-week program that will focus on environmental photography. Walk away with a bound book of your works.
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At Teton Science Schools, you will participate in a 4-week academic and wilderness experience focused on field-research projects, learning wilderness hard skills, and practicing leadership in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
Not sure what summer experience you will be taking part in? Click the button below to find out what might be happening!
“To put it in a word, my first experience [at Appel Farm] was life-changing”
Summer Search provides a variety of resources to support you in preparing for your Summer Experience. From travel tips to what to expect from outdoor activities to live events, we got you!
Remember that your mentor is always your best resource! Reach out if you have any questions or need help with your application.
Need to schedule office hours with the Summer Team? Create a Calendly appointment here!
a glimpse into our summer experiences
