<p>I was wondering if this summer activity would look good on my resume when I apply to Stanford in the fall. Is this beneficial or does it even matter?</p>
<p>it cant possibly help (these programs exist to rake in more $$$) , but if you get a poor grade, it can certainly hurt!</p>
<p>spend that $4000 elsewhere - i.e. plane ticket to africa or something</p>
<p>my son has a very good friend who did the summer program at stanford last summer, and then applied ED to stanford. he was accepted.</p>
<p>Do the course instructors have input to the admission decision? Will you be taking courses in the area you plan to major in? Are you sufficiently brilliant that you will be a standout in the class? If the answer to all three questions is "Yes" then you MIGHT want to consider doing it. Otherwise ....</p>
<p>"Are you sufficiently brilliant that you will be a standout in the class?"</p>
<p>That is the ONLY relevant question out of 3 listed above. If the answer is "yes", you'd be able to get a rec. letter from your prof, and it certainly will help. Otherwise it probably does not matter, and if the only reason you want to do it is to get a boost in admissions, it's a waste of money.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that summer courses might not be taught by the regular Stanford faculty. (That was true at Columbia's program anyway.) It's not that they are bad professors, just that they won't necessarily provide you an "in" to Stanford. If you have the money, and are passionate about the subject, by all means take a course.</p>
<p>One reason it might be worth doing: to see if Stanford is really for you, and if you'd want to take a chance on applying there Single Choice Early Action. My daughter <em>thought</em> she had a clear first choice school at the end of junior year, but after attending the school's summer program, she decided that, while she still liked the school, her interest wasn't strong enough to commit to applying ED. However, the experience of living on a college campus, attending college classes, and getting to hang out with college students DID help her to clarify what she wanted and didn't want in a college. Both reasons made attending the program money well spent, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Summer programs should probably never be done in hopes of boosting admissions chances at any particular school. They should be done solely with the idea of enriching your education and personal development. That way, if they don't add anything to your admissions chances, you still have gained something from the experience. But, as has already been pointed out, there are lots of other options for enriching your education and personal development, so consider all options and pick something that you truly want to do because it sounds interesting and fun, not because it <em>may</em> (but just as likely may not) boost your admissions chances. :)</p>
<p>For my daughter, summer college was a great way to really get to know one school. Her teacher was a regular faculty member -- quite a popular one -- and offered to write a recommendation for any student who got an A in the class. She got three credits, which enabled her to take a fairly light load first semester freshman year. She ended up applying ED and getting accepted to the school. On the downside, the price on these programs is exorbitant.</p>
<p>"Summer programs should probably never be done in hopes of boosting admissions chances at any particular school. They should be done solely with the idea of enriching your education and personal development."</p>
<p>Well said, Carolyn. The main question is "do you WANT to learn what they are teachin?"</p>
<p>I'm also a big fan of summer jobs for personal development. Rather than spending $4,000, consider making $2,000 for college expenses. Scooping ice cream, stocking shelves or being responsible for children are excellent ways to learn patience, humility, sales and persistence--all skills that will take you far.</p>