My time at Camp Easter Seals UCP, a camp for adults and children with mental and physical disabilities, proved to be one of the best times of my life. I spent three months on top of a mountain in New Castle, Virginia, with friends that I will -- no doubt -- maintain for the rest of my life. While three months with limited WiFi and phone service sounds horrendous, it was the exact opposite. It was a life-changing experience that I could not have gotten anywhere else.

Here are the top five reasons why everyone needs to work at a summer camp at some time in their life.

1. Being weird is a necessity: If you don't make a fool out of yourself at some point, you're doing something wrong. Other counselors and I spent lots of time in cow costumes and oversized plaid dresses, or belly dancing around the cafeteria just to amuse our campers. We sang camp songs about baby sharks and a little cabin in the woods. Nothing about camp was normal and that's OK! A weird experience is a memorable one!

2. Your co-workers: Staff week is not just a week of learning about camper mediation, night duty, and canoe and pool safety; it’s when you get to know the people with which you’ll be spending your entire summer. In one week, you’ll learn more about them than you know about the people you actually grew up with. They’re amazing and understanding, and they probably have great taste in music. These are people that you may not see for months -- or even years -- at a time, but when you reunite, you’ll be able to pick up right where you left off. Months after camp is over, when you’ve settled back into your usual routine with your usual buddies, you’ll always be able to contact your camp friends and reminisce. No questions asked.

3. Camp activities: Every night there’s a different activity, the experience of which is exclusive to camp. There are talent shows and obstacle courses and dances and other opportunities for campers to have a great time. At CES, Messy Night was a camper favorite. It was an afternoon full of whipped cream, peach and steak-sauce pies, human sundaes, and washing off in the freezing creek. Let’s be honest, even though we’ve all seen someone get pied in the face tens of times, it only gets funnier.

4. Campers: Everything that a camp counselor does is for their campers. The short time that you spend with them will create a bond that you won't find anywhere else. By day two, you’ll be able to understand your camper like no one else can. They’ll become some of your favorite people in the entire world. Not only will you find that you have a lot of similar interests, but they have an amazing sense of humor.You’ll gain a sense of selflessness by caring for someone else. I still remember each and every one of my campers; they’re some of my best friends, and I can’t wait to see them again.

5. You’ll love it: Working at a summer camp will provide one of the most unique experiences you’ll ever have. You’ll learn so much about yourself and acquire skills that you can’t learn anywhere else. Days, weeks, months after camp is over, you will still talk about camp as if it ended yesterday. You’ll never run out of stories to tell or references to make. Not only will you have an extensive list of camp songs in your repertoire, but you’ll have an infinite amount of memories to revisit.