The reality of pre-college summer programs We’ll go into more detail on this, including some exceptions, a little later. Don’t spend money just because you want your child to be able to drop “Yale” or “Stanford” in a college app. We’ll discuss this more shortly.Ĭontrary to many parents’ optimistic beliefs, with the exception of the most prestigious programs, attending a pre-college summer program probably won’t directly help your child get into college. The selectivity, prestige, and academic rigor of programs can vary quite a bit and don’t always correspond to the academic reputation of the host college. For example, Yale’s Young Global Scholars program typically charges $6,500 for two weeks. Pre-college summer programs are frequently very expensive. Your child will be able to meet and befriend like-minded peers. Your child might develop a relationship with an instructor who would be willing to write them a letter of recommendation for college. Your child might be able to earn college credit or use a course to place into a higher level in college or high school. a rural one, or a large research university vs. Your child will get exposure to a specific campus and type of environment, which will help them make an informed decision about what kind of school they could best succeed at (e.g., an urban setting vs. Your child will be able to get a firsthand feel for what college life is like, which may make transitioning to college easier when the time comes. Your child may get the chance to study a subject and/or get hands-on experience beyond what their high school offers. Programs also frequently incorporate lectures, networking events, and opportunities to socialize with fellow attendees, and they can range anywhere from one to eight weeks in length. Typically, these programs aim to approximate the college experience by holding classes taught by professors or visiting scholars, while housing students in campus dorms (note: local students may be able to commute instead).
Before we dive into the pros and cons of pre-college summer programs, here’s a quick rundown of what these programs entail. Your child could spend their summer in a wilderness program, on volunteering trips abroad, attending an arts camp, or participating in a specialized summer institute for an extracurricular activity at which they excel, like an academic team, robotics, or debate.įor the bright generalist, however, the number of academics-focused “pre-college programs” set on college campuses has swelled dramatically over the past few decades. Part 2: Pros and cons of attending a pre-college summer program
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In this guide, we’ll go over the benefits and drawbacks of participating in pre-college summer programs everywhere from Cambridge to Palo Alto, including the question on everybody’s minds: do these programs actually help your child get into college? We’ll also provide an overview of recommended programs in a variety of categories, plus we’ll discuss other ways your child might choose to spend their summer. Many others promise to meld the best of a (safe and supervised!) teenage summer with opportunities that can challenge your child and add texture to their Common App essay and other college essays.īut with so many to choose from, how do you know which are truly worth the often-extensive application process and frequently high price tag?
Some are quite the opposite of the classic bunk-beds-and-mosquitoes summer camp adventure, delivering an intense, heads-down experience. Summer programs for high school students, particularly pre-college summer programs located on college campuses, have greatly proliferated in numbers over the past few decades to the point where there are now hundreds of programs to choose from. If you and your child are planning ahead for summer break, you may be looking into summer programs to expand your child’s horizons and hopefully give them a leg up in the college admissions process. But alongside the idyllic visions of summer is the urgent need to ensure your child is productive, which likely leaves you wondering: what summer activities should a gifted or talented teenager seek out? Sure, you want to give your child a chance to enjoy sunshine, the pool, and popsicles. For many parents of high-achieving children, summer breaks are difficult beasts to manage.
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