Good Summer Programs for Freshmen/Sophomores

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>I'm a freshman in high school, and I've been searching for some good summer programs, specifically for science and research, for a while now. There are plenty of summer programs for juniors, but not many free ones for freshmen and sophomores. </p>

<p>Are there any good (free preferrably) summer programs that focus on research/science and would help me if I were to enter the Intel STS for example? If worst comes to worst, I'm going to have to go for the University of Florida's Science Training Program and pay $3000. Thanks a bunch for all your help.</p>

<p>-Joe</p>

2

<p>I think Harvard SSP is open to rising sophmores - but don't hold me to it. Anyway, I dont think it would necessarily be better than the UF thing - so basically I am useless...</p>

3

<p>hey Joe,
im a sophomore and i applied to Junior Statesmen Summer School at Princeton..take a look at that....google it...its only good tho if ur interested in politics or gov</p>

4

<p>For freshman year summer, I would suggest the eating and sleeping program. But that's just me. I wasn't weird when I was growing up.</p>

5

<p>I hate to be hypocritical considering I'm still a sophmore by American standards and completely addicted to this site and all - but I agree - if you do do a program then at least don't spend the whole summer doing it - it will be the last summer before college that you can truly enjoy so make it last :) Also, rising sophmore summers dont count for very much by admissions standards</p>

6

<p>Ugh, totally with you on that. Even as a current soph it's difficult unless you have connections; I'm taking the "mass-email-professors" route (because researchers obviously want to spend their resources training bored high school students) though I'm not so sure that would be open to a frosh.</p>

<p>What I would suggest above probably everything else is getting your HS credits out of the way. If summer school is possible, do that - get a year ahead in math, learn to drive, take health or gym so you won't have to waste an academic schedule block next year, something like that. </p>

<p>Sorry I couldn't be of more specific help.</p>

7

<p>I'm thinking of doing that, silentsailor. Good idea. (By the way, I'm also trying to get an internship with a professor, silentsailor. Have you had any luck?) </p>

<p>Does anyone else have any advice? Thanks to all you guys who responded.</p>

8

<p>i'm in the same situation cooljoe. as a rising sophmore, i can't seem to find any research opportunities over the summer. i may just get some credits out of the way.</p>

9

<p>Yeah connections help. That's how I got to work at a research lab at MIT as a rising junior. Best. Summer. Ever.</p>

10

<p>How did you manage to do that, theblumuffin? What kind of connections did you have? I'd love to research at an awesome university like that!</p>

11

<p>bump.</p>

<p>What's the big difference between going to a summer research camp and getting an internship with a professor at a local university?</p>

12

<p>the people
the dorm life
the dorm food
the experience</p>

13

<p>Yeah, I know that, but material-wise would you learn more if you went to an expensive summer research camp where tuition is $1500 or if you had a professor at a prestigious local university as your mentor for free?</p>

14

<p>Well I kind of knew the professor a little bit and I had talked to him before about flying planes because he was a glider pilot.</p>

15

<p>Yeah, I wish I had connections like that. It'd really boost my ego to get an internship with a prof at Harvard.</p>