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I’ll start by prefacing this by saying that everything I say is my own personal opinion and based on my own experiences. Feel free to take it with a grain of salt as it’s literally written by a random high school senior with not enough sleep. All right, now that my legal bases are covered, lets get into it.

Summer Programs

Students have really hectic and packed school years, so what better to do in the only period of time they have to relax than to have them do the exact same thing, just on a college campus!

Jokes aside, the conversation around applying to summer programs have definitely crossed the minds of many parents and students alike. Especially as college applications begin to weigh more and more on the mind. I hope to shed some light on this largely ignored part of the high school experience. That being said, if there’s some program that you or your child really finds interesting, by all means, take my words as the rambling of one individual, not some rigid rule.

Paid Summer Programs

A decent portion of college summer programs are paid. From what I’ve seen, they usually cost around $3000 per week. They are expensive. But for most of them, there’s usually financial aid options. That being said, cost is definitely one of the most important factors to be considering when applying.

Hosted by External Organizations

Some companies will rent out the facilities of colleges and host classes on location. They aren’t affiliated with the school at all, they simply use the school’s campus as a way to market themselves. In my opinion, these aren’t worth going to. They tend to be over-costed with an emphasis on making a quick buck off students who believe it’s going to improve their chances of admission.

For any given program, look through who is hosting it. It might be on the location of a prestigious university, but is it run by that university? Look through who is teaching and the exact affiliations on their website.

Hosted by the College Themselves

These are sort of a grey area for me. In all honesty, I’ve attended two of these programs myself (Two Wharton Global Youth Programs). I think for these, it’s a trap to think that just because they’re hosted by the college, it will automatically boost your chances of admission. I imagine this has come up often enough where on the Wharton Global Youth program, there’s a small segment in bold:

“Participation in Wharton’s high school programs does not guarantee admission into Penn”

I can’t speak for everyone, but I will say based on the people I still talk to from the program, that statement holds true.

I’ve spoken about the Wharton programs at length in another blog post. To summarize, I’d say join these paid programs if you find the content interesting and for the experience. Doing it for college aps is probably not worth it.

Merit-Based College Programs

If you’re trying to find something that does help your college aps, these are probably your best shot. These are usually free, or at least relatively cheaper compared to other programs. Some notable examples off the top of my head are RSI and SSP. These programs are usually more competitive, require more essays and have a more thorough application process.

If you have an opportunity to, I’d highly recommend attending one of these. They definitely communicate a level of experience and expertise, and can add another dimension to a college ap. They’re also a great opportunity to get some real world experience. For instance, students in SSP do actual astrophysics research and have an opportunity to get involved with college resources.

If you are considering applying to these programs, there’s 2 main pieces of advice I’d give.

  1. Keep track of dates. You want ample time to edit your essays. Make sure to give yourself that leeway to ensure that you’re putting your best foot forward.
  2. Talk to your teachers earlier rather than later. Most of these programs require letters of recommendation. Make sure that you talk to your teachers before-hand and provide them with anything they might need (It’s standard for teachers to ask for a brag sheet)

Debunking Myths

Will college programs help me get into a competitive college?

Based on the experiences I’ve seen, it doesn’t have much of an impact on getting into a prestigious college. At least for any of the paid programs. Most of the people I’ve known who attended paid summer programs, ended up getting rejected. If wanting to get into a prestigious university is your motivation, I would probably advise that it’s not super useful.

How can I tell if a college program is actually prestigious or not?

One of the best tests is probably a quick google search. If there are other resources that talk about it, more likely than not, it’s a decently well known resource. If the only sources that talk about it’s prestige are official websites, then it might not be as well known.

What are kids actually doing during these college prep programs?

Most of the time, you’re time is mainly split between taking courses in classes and free time to explore. Here’s the rough course time for various programs

Wharton Global Youth - 7 hours a day (9am - 5pm with breaks interspersed)

Harvard Pre-College - 3 hours a day (12 pm - 3 pm)

Georgetown - approximate 5 hours a day (8 am - 10 pm)

I’d say there’s definitely enough time to explore, both the content that you’re studying, as well as the city that you live in. Speaking from my own experiences, the most valuable thing I probably gained, was insight into what life as a student would be like there. As typical as it may seem, making sure that the enjoy living at the place you choose to study at for the next 4 years, is incredibly important.

Would you say doing these programs are worth it?

Yes, if you care about the experience and learning about the content.

No, if you just want to use it on your college aps.

What are some cheaper alternatives?

There are plenty of alternative ways to spend your summer, both for finding personal growth as well as to prepare for college.

Some personal recommendations as to areas to look:

Volunteer Opportunities - Great way to explore different fields and get involved with community service.

Personal Projects - In my opinion, one thing people should do more. Whether it’s something small like working on your DECA project before hand, or something larger like learning a new skill. Taking the opportunity to try something out in the summer is a great choice.

Pre-College Courses - In the Washington Area (Where I’m from), our local state school, the University of Washington offers summer courses for students. It’s a great opportunity to get some college credit while getting a similar experience to exorbitantly expensive summer programs.

Work a Job - There’s a lot of great experiences to be gained from getting some real-world work experience. It also creates memorable stories to add to your college aps, if that’s something you care about.

But most importantly…

HAVE FUN

For the parents reading this, please don’t take this article as a checklist for all the things your child has to do this coming summer. These are simply some of the things I’ve seen throughout my high school experience and should hopefully provide a bit of insight based on my own experiences.