The policy of some schools requiring students to complete summer projects allows students to continue learning and challenging themselves academically when school is out of session. In order to encourage students to develop their creative and organizational skills, these summer projects should be designed by the students themselves. With the freedom of designing their own projects, students are also better able explore their own intellectual interests.

Students must apply their creative skills when they are given autonomy in designing their assignments. My past history teacher assigned a project in which students were to select any event in history and present it through any medium. The students used creativity in crafting dioramas, drawing on large posters, constructing websites, and even conveying information through theatrical performances. The grading structure was based on how much effort was apparently put into each project, and this motivated students to work hard and make their projects unique. Students have the liberty and incentive to express their interests creatively if they design their own projects.

Students can hone their organizational skills by structuring a project without a teacher's strict guidelines. Although guidelines are arguably necessary to any graded assignment, a teacher should create guidelines based on creativity and display of knowledge rather than conformity. In a student-based project, organizational skills beneficial to academic success are engaged, such as deciding on a main idea, providing evidence and examples, using pictures or diagrams for clarity, and practicing presentation techniques. In math class last year, I was assigned a project in which the only requirement was to explain a mathematical concept. Despite not having any background knowledge about website creation, I decided to make a website. I learned how to insert links and tabs dedicated to different mathematical topics. This experience taught me how to organize information into digital form. The ability to independently design an assignment is educational in that it develops students' ability to organize information in a clear, methodical way.

Students will have the freedom to learn about and pursue their interests if they design their own projects. A teacher might have to restrict a project to a specific theme or subject, such as Medieval Europe. However, providing students some flexibility within a subject to work on the aspect that they feel most passionate about will lead to more enthusiasm. For example, my ecology teacher assigned students a research project on biomes. I was extremely curious about the tundra but less so about the grasslands. Unfortunately, I had to research the grasslands instead of the tundra. I was largely apathetic about the subject, and although I learned some new facts, I believe doing a project on the tundra would have been a more educational experience for me. A student-designed project allows students to nurture their curiosity while completing academic work.

By allowing students to design their own projects, students are less restricted by guidelines and are thus further enabled to develop their creative and organizational skills. Students are also able to learn about subjects that they already find interesting and worthy of further research, and will therefore be more enthusiastic about the assignment.