<p>I went to the program at Brown this summer and it was amazing. There was a main green where everybody used to chill, and it was a great opportunity to meet people of the same age there. I was wondering if there is any communal gathering area in columbia when people are bored and at a loose end? I suppose its different because there is so much to do around NYC.</p>
<p>Who organises the parties? Drinks?</p>
<p>I have a friend who went this year, summer of 2010, and she’s one of the smartest girls I know. She really loved the program, but she said ‘don’t take college prep or architecture, because they made peoples’ lives hell.’ so , uh. Idk :P</p>
<p>by far the best summer of my life, I learned more in 3 weeks than I thought was possible</p>
<p>Hi umm i did the same program and i have to tell you i had a total different expierance. MY program was interesting and a bit challenging. My teachers were intellegent and nice nad i learned alot. They thought me things I had never learned before and it was astounding. I loved it and it helps. Sorry, it must have been ur course cause mine was opposite</p>
<p>My daughter attended the High School Program this summer and took the Creative Writing Course. I also gasped at the amount of money we had to spend at first. In the end it was worth it. She learned an incredible amount, more than in her Honors English class last year ( I guess it is due to the quality of the instructors, and you get what you pay for). She realized after taking the class that although she loves to write, she does not want to major in Creative Writing. That realization was huge because prior to this, we were specifically researching colleges with Creative Writing majors. Her college counselor said that alone probably saved us the $7,000 tuition by not wasting a year at college only to find out she did not want to major in CW, whereas now she can make a more appropriate choice for something else she might want to study. Consequently, we are considering completely different colleges because she has a better idea of what she wants. New York City is just expensive, so a large part of the tuition was for the privilege of living and studying in NYC. Her class took field trips to the museums and took advantage of what the city had to offer. The Resident Advisers also took them on field trips, some free. She learned to be independent, to be more responsible, street smarts, and to appreciate what she had at home. She met amazing friends from all around the world that she keeps in contact with still, and therefore being exposed to a broader range of people than she would come in contact with at home, she is a richer person for that. She said she had the best summer of her life (I could be naive, but I don’t think she was out partying all day & night) (maybe it was great because it was away from us, but that’s OK because we felt the same!). Yes, it was expensive, but worth it, and you would be surprised at how much you can save if you make different choices toward a different priority.</p>
<p>I am interested in the same info please (for my kids) Which classes are so full?</p>
<p>If anyone has info on the Math Boot Camps for Physics majors and The College Prep class, please let me know. Thank you…</p>
<p>It seems like the quality of the program depends on the course. Just out of curiosity, would it be possible to take two courses at different times in the same session?</p>
<p>Many thanks for your post. My daughter (16) has applied to the program for this summer and I was quite concerned after reading the negative posts. Is there anything you can share about the after school hours; is there much home work ? Are they adequately supervised ? Thank you.</p>
<p>There was about 45 minutes of homework assigned every night, but if you did not do it, no one was going to punish you. There were after school activities every night somewhere, but my daughter did not do everything, She was happy to hang with her new friends and go places on their own. She did participate in some activities as well and enjoyed them. You are paying for the service of Resident Advisers who supervise and live in the dorm with the girls – about 1 Adviser to the 9 girls in the suite-- as part of your dorm fee. I would guess that some Advisers are more active than others. I was impressed that they all seemed very competent and experienced.</p>
<p>Are you attending Mathematical Boot Camp this summer of 2011?? ME TOO!!! 
After all these responses, I’m sure that if we keep a positive mind and work actively, everything will turn out okay! But I still want to know what MBC is like so I came here looking for someone to talk about it!! I can’t find anything anywhere! And did you read about string theory? It’s so cool!</p>
<p>Hey guys!
Just wanted to drop a line here because I attended the Columbia HSP this summer and the original poster here is totally wrong. Although I suppose it depends on what class you select, mine had 10 people in it (including me) and was extremely interactive with the professors. All the other students were so smart and fun, and the class was really an amazing experience. Yes, there are a few parties and things, but the real good adventures come from exploring New York yourself. There are people smoking and drinking and hooking up, but those groups are small and can be easily avoided if you choose to stay away from that. I was in the advanced creative writing class, and let me just say, it solidified my opinion that Columbia is #1!</p>
<p>My D is only 14, and will still be 14 this summer. She’s applied for this summer.</p>
<p>Can anyone speak to the supervision of the frosh/sophs? Drinking and hooking up are not what I’d hope she’d get out of her time there. She applied to session 2, math.</p>
<p>I went at 16 after sophomore year straight to Columbia from a NASA program where we were escorted to the bathroom for two weeks (way too much supervision at that one). Columbia was the opposite and I enjoyed the unstructured free time with the ability to leave campus alone or in groups pretty much any time other than after curfews. There were college students on each floor who would check in on us and help with any issues, but it was a lot like having an RA is in college. Nightly room checks were about the extent of the real supervision. I had no issues with drugs, drinking, hookups or any of that. I’m not the type really, and just didn’t run across it. </p>
<p>There are a few international high schools that regularly send groups of students to Columbia summers. Those kids arrive with a built-in social network and I’m guessing those groups tend to be more liberal socially.</p>
<p>Whoops, I just found out that she will have to withdraw her app. She applied as part of the Joyce Ivy Scholarship (no way we can afford the program without that) and JI, as of this year, no longer supports the Columbia program (which probably tells you something). So it’s Brown or Smith, if she still wants to do a summer program.</p>
<p>But THANK YOU griffen, for responding.</p>
<p>I read this post before I attended HSP 2011, and am writing now to confirm the feelings in the testimonials on the Columbia website. I took Advanced Topics in Philosophy. It was a very small class and very challenging and enriching. The RAs are great, the food is great, and the housing is great. The housing is, generally, a lot of large singles in New York City, which isn’t all bad. Of course it is a money-making venture for the university. But, I don’t think that disqualifies the lifechanging experience I had.</p>
<p>got in last summer… apperently i am glas i did not go… went to a much better program (SSEP) and leared a ton!</p>
<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>My daughter went to the creative writing course back several years ago and just loved it! She learned alot, the teachers were excellent and overall experience was great. It is an expensive program but she grew from it and the writing really improved. If you can swing the $$, the experience is incredible for personal growth</p>
<p>Oh one more thing… she received a page long, thoughtful evaluation – that we included in all the college applications – not the 4-5 sentence thing that the original post stated.</p>
<p>Anyone here doing session II this summer?</p>