<p>I'm looking to go into some type of computer science in college. I have been looking for computer-related summer programs, but I have mainly only been able to find ones along the lines of an intro course, or the equivalent of AP Computer Science (which I am already taking in school).</p>
<p>I have looked at Stanford's EPGY Summer School for Artificial Intelligence (I received a letter from them) and I was wondering if anyone knew if this program was good or knew of any better programs?</p>
<p>I am a junior girl in high school with straight A's and five APs this year, by the way. Thank you in advance!</p>
<p>I don’t know much about Stanford’s EPGY, but outside of summer programs, you could look into internships, which look awesome on resumes and are great for connections in the future. I know a friend who got a job at IBM doing Ant scripting after a year of Java in AP Compsci A.</p>
<p>Don’t do EPGY - the things you learn there can easily be found in any textbook. It’s just not worth the $5000 price tag. But with that said, it’s better than not doing anything at all this summer.</p>
<p>You still have a lot of time before summer, so here’s what I’d recommend:</p>
<p>1) Look at summer research camps such as RSI, Clark Scholars, Simons, SIMR, NASA programs, etc. They may not necessarily be just for CS, but so many research fields rely on CS these days that you’re bound to find one in your scope of interest. Research is an amazing way to learn because everything you do cannot be replicated in a classroom. Plus, it really helps in college admissions because they know that research involves higher-level thinking, not unlike those required at a university lab.</p>
<p>2) If you live in a “tech-y” area, I’d contact as many companies and startups as I can and ask if they have internship opportunities. If you can do everything in AP Compsci, chances are there are bound to be people interested in hiring you. But out of say every 50 people you email, only 1 will reply. So don’t be discouraged. Remember, you just need one person to hire you!</p>
<p>3) Self study is also not a bad idea. Since this is CS, anyone can do original research with just a laptop, so you don’t need to go to some high-tech facility. With that said, you should also budget time to do other things, like volunteering, sports, etc.</p>
<p>If you can get financial aid at EPGY, I think it would be worth it. I’m a girl and I’m applying to Artificial Intelligence as well! (if i get the finaid of course)</p>