The ways in which students learn differentiates from person to person. while some may thrive in a structured environment, this does not work for those who learn best by teaching themselves. Summer is designed to be a break from the structure of school and is meant to be for students to be relieved of the constant conformity in classrooms. While summer projects should be regulated by the teacher, they should be largely student designed due to the simple facts that all students learn differently, students are more likely to do a project they designed themselves, and that summer is made for students to live their own lives, apart from teachers.

School is designed for very specific types of learners, when in reality there is no one way to teach that works for all students. Projects are designed to teach in one specific way, whether its by writing, reading, listening, or working, but rarely are projects fit into every category, and this is troublesome for those who learn differently. Teacher-designed projects are structured to be like a classroom and they are reflective of that teacher's style, and teachers do not influence the learning of all students in the same way. One student may learn better from one teacher, but another might be failing their class because the teacher does not teach in the style in which that student learns. When students influence their learning atmosphere, they are more likely to understand what works best for them and then excel in learning as they need to on their terms. Student-designed summer projects can give a student the opportunity to not only learn about what style works best for them, but to grow independent of a structure-based, conformitive style of learning.

Students love to follow through with something they took charge in initiating, and this trait can be exploited for student-designed summer projects. A teenager is washing the dishes without having been asked, their parent calls out "Hey, can you wash the dishes?" suddenly, for no reason, that teenager feels a rush of motivation to not continue doing the dishes, even though they were already on the task. This is something every teenager relates to and they will testify. This can be transferred to summer projects when they are teacher-designed, because the teacher is asking them to teach themselves in a specific way, even though they could have been doing it their own way. When a student can determine how, when, and what they are doing, they are far more likely to commit to the task. Students can design the project in a way that they will want to do it, so that it does not feel as if they have to, and they will perfect it because, well, they designed it in the first place. Summer projects that the students chose to do are obviously going to be completed thoroughly and very well.

No student wants to feel the reach of teachers any further than the school schedule, and when they do, it can feel like an invasion of privacy. Students need to be able to lead their own lives because teachers will not always be there to tell them what to do and when to do it. If students designed their own summer projects, they can learn to be independent from the structure of school and lay down the foundation for good work ethic. Summer is a relief from the conformity of classrooms and a time for students to be people in the world, not sheep in a classroom. Part of being a person is choosing what kind of life, schedule, work, and things one wants to do, and student-designed summer projects is a great opportunity for students to do this. Summer projects should be student-designed because it is an opportunity for students to learn outside of the classroom and in their own lives, in their own way.

Summer projects can be hard to commit to, especially when the student is forced in to something that does not work for their style of learning. When a student can design their classroom to fit their groove, they can learn better and commit to it fully. Summer projects are meant for the student to continue learning, and if it is designed in a way they do not learn, what is the point of it? Students should be allowed to design their own summer projects so that they can gain the most from it, commit to it, and finish it through to the end.