STEM Summer Programs Can Help 

If you want a STEM career, you’ve probably focused on test scores and GPAs. But in the real world, grades don’t measure success, which is built through teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. 

While academic achievement is important, you should begin developing your soft skills sooner rather than later. STEM summer programs can help you get a head start. 

High school and college offer a glimpse into the importance of soft skills like collaborative problem-solving. Scientific environments, like research labs, require these skills, too. Their fast-paced and intellectually demanding nature requires teamwork and effective communication for everyone to thrive. 

Although professional expectations vary significantly depending on the setting, the following soft skills are worth cultivating regardless of what STEM field you enter. 

What are soft skills?

Soft skills should be more than an afterthought on your resume. These qualities define how we interact with a workplace, college classroom, residential hall, or home. They help us collaborate and communicate with others, maintain healthy relationships, problem-solve, build networks, and more. 

How STEM summer programs can help you develop soft skills

Pre-college STEM summer programs provide a socially supportive environment that challenges you academically and helps you become independent, develop personal integrity, feel confident in yourself, communicate effectively, and more. STEM summer programs can help you develop key soft skills like:

Professionalism

Most STEM summer programs have dress codes and codes of conduct that outline expectations, not strict rules for interacting with peers and faculty. Rather than imposing rigid rules, these programs foster a professional environment where you're expected to take ownership of your actions — respecting peers, demonstrating integrity, and staying committed to your work.

Networking

STEM summer programs encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and expose you to people with different ideas, life experiences and cultures. The relationships you build with peers, faculty, or industry professionals can open doors to research opportunities, mentorship, and future career paths.

Teamwork

Science relies on collaboration. Scientists observe, ask questions — and most importantly — work with others to find solutions to real-world problems. STEM summer programs teach you how to build chemistry with different personalities with their own ideas and skill sets to tackle problems you’ll inevitably encounter in your scientific journey. 

Communication skills

Communication skills include articulating and presenting your ideas clearly, to asking for help. Because so much of what happens in STEM fields depends on teamwork, good communication is critical for reaching your goals. 

Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking

Most STEM summer programs will provide hands-on projects designed to challenge you to think critically and outside the box to solve a problem. 

The impact

So, how do these soft skills impact students in the long run? In 2021, SSP International, a nonprofit offering immersive science experiences, partnered with Professor Eric Deemer at Purdue University to analyze the impact of soft skills and cultural capital development on STEM-interested students who participated in SSP International’s Summer Science Program.

Our study, “Student Impact: Creating Scientific Researchers at the Pre-College Level,” found that STEM summer programs prioritizing soft skill development help students feel a greater sense of belonging within the science community and increase their chances of pursuing careers in STEM. The Summer Science Program participants reported:

• Increased feelings of autonomy, relatedness, and competence throughout the program
• Increased confidence in their ability to master research
• Increased motivation to pursue STEM

Don’t wait until college to develop these essential skills. If you're a high school student passionate about STEM, explore how the Summer Science Program can give you a head start.