My daughter is a rising senior and is taking a summer program at BU. Do these programs typically help with admissions?
If your question is “Does the simple act of doing a summer program at BU aid in BU admissions,” then no.
However, a summer program where courses earn credit can demonstrate that the applicant is capable of handling college coursework
1 Like
They generally do not help with admissions. I don’t know about the program at BU specifically, but most summer programs for high school students are completely separate from admissions. They are run as a for-profit venture to capitalize on a mostly empty campus, and not as a way to recruit future students.
There are a small number that are useful in the school’s admissions process. Notre Dame’s is the only one that comes to mind, actually. For the most part, they are viewed like any other pay-to-play extracurricular by the school that hosts it. For other colleges where your daughter might apply, it may be advisable to not include it at all on the application because non-BU schools could see it as a clear indication that their school is not your daughter’s first choice.
2 Likes
My daughter is doing a summer program there as well…
It is my understanding that it does not provide any significant benefit with admissions.
It can have some benefit in the “demonstrated interest” category. But it does not really provide any direct boost. They recognize that it’s basically an expensive summer camp, often for a few college credits.
1 Like
Commuter students enrolled in a college credit course (or two) might be doing so because of proximity.
And yes, I have a child enrolled as a commuter student, using public transit. The course my child is enrolled in is a college credit course, with plenty of regular BU undergrads classmates.
My child attends a small prep school that’s not a big name by a long shot, doesn’t offer AP courses, doesn’t do class rank, GPAs, or even A+s.
Bonus: kid is starting to make the observations/insights about higher education that would never be listened them from me.
I am referring to school-specific, pay-to-play summer programs (as mentioned by the OP) aimed at high school students, not taking college courses and your local university.
Don’t think any school is going to say, “oh… clearly we aren’t your first choice if you went to a summer program at another college the summer before your Junior year…”
I do think these summer programs are not of great value as an extracurricular. Being pay to play… they just show you paid. So I don’t think there is any harm in excluding them from your application. But I also don’t think there is any harm in including them.
To the extent the summer program aligns with your desired major, it shows a commitment to the course of study.
2 Likes