<p>I was wondering if any one could please give me advice on this summer. I won't be 16 over the summers so that limited my options. My choices for this summer: </p>
<ol>
<li> Harvard SSP (.....or possibly the one at Boston University)</li>
<li> College Classes at a local University (mostly math and chem) and volunteering at the local hospital</li>
</ol>
<p>Just to give you a little background: I am currently a sophomore in high school. I have a 4.00 UW and I'm taking AP courses (including self-studying 3). I got a 218 on my PSATs. I hope to go to an Ivy League school (medicine). </p>
<p>I wanted to base this choice over
1. Quality of Education (How rigorous is Harvard SSP????)
2. Appearance on College Application
3. Enrichment</p>
<p>Thanks!!! Also if anyone has any suggestions for summer programs that I would be eligible for and whose deadlines haven't passed.</p>
<p>I’m a sophomore as well, and I applied to HSHSP and Harvard SSP. The chances of me getting accepted into HSHSP is very very slim, considering I have no standardized test grades at all. But I got into SSP, and I really want to go. My dad won’t let me because he has very little faith in my ability to behave myself in a city like Boston alone for seven weeks. But honestly, SSP is, I’ve heard, such a good program, especially if you’re social. And you’d be in classes with mostly Harvard students and actual professors, so if you build a rapport, they can write you a good rec maybe? And in Boston, you can volunteer and do other things cus it’s not just classes. It might not look as good as say, HSHSP, for college, but if you truly enjoyed the experience and the classes, I don’t think it’ll matter. Either way, it won’t hurt you. And if you get good grades, it has to show that you’re smart…
But it is pretty expensive, (how much financial aid do they give to like upper-middle class families, do you know?), and taking community college, or even university classes is really cheap. And maybe you won’t get as good of an class or professor there, but you’ll be in a college setting like that in two years. And you can also do a community service project.</p>
<p>From what I heard from other CC’ers, Harvard SSP is definitely not worth the $10K tuition. Almost everyone who applies get accepted. You should fine something you’re truly interested in and stick to it (your second option sounds fine).</p>
<p>Thanks for your help but I still have a dilemma…</p>
<ol>
<li>I think the social experience at ssp would be great (meeting ppl across the country etc.)</li>
<li>However if ssp will not improve my application or give me a superior edu then I can not justify spending $10k…unless it will do either of those things</li>
<li>Has anyone here ever taken summer classes at just a typical 4 year university? Did you enjoy it? Was it beneficial? Were you able to take the AP test after taking the class? </li>
<li>Will the college classes improve my app? More than ssp?</li>
<li>Sorry I’m being insanely annoying about this but i really don’t want to make the wrong choice and then be stuck over the summer</li>
</ol>
<p>Haha NYW2011 what a coincidence!! I am a sophomore also and I applied to both harvssp and hshsp! Have you heard anything from hshsp…still being hopeful heard ppl have started getting emails. No sorry I’m not familiar with their financial aid</p>
<p>Absolutely, if you are near a 4 year school then taking classes there would be a much better use of your money and significantly less $. To see that you pursued an education in your time off is a good thing, paying thousands of dollars for it isn’t a good thing.</p>
<p>I recommend that you go with classes at your local university and volunteering at the hospital (especially useful since you’re considering pre-med). </p>
<p>Harvard SSP will definitely not add much your college applications nor are you likely to get any “good recommendations” since most of the people teaching you will not be full-time Harvard professors. (Only a handful teach SSP classes.) It’s a very expensive “experience.”</p>
bump</p>