<p>Hey---I'm doing both of these programs this summer, only one-week at Cornell and then four-weeks at Harvard. I know that Harvard is obviously a much more difficult school for undergraduate study, but what do you think is more selective in terms of summer programs?</p>
<p>umm i would say Harvard..mainly just b/c you get college credit for the class you take! i dont really know which is more selective of both the schools i do know though that last year a friend of mine got into the Cornell on but not the Harvard one...but that could just be for my friend...hope that is what you are asking...</p>
<p>hmm i could probably help you more if you explain your reason for asking the question or explain it more....are you asking which one you should go to? or do you just want to know which one is harder to get into?</p>
<p>Not sure which one is harder to get into.</p>
<p>The truth of the matter is that neither program is considerably selective. Generally, if you have at least solid grades (B-ish average), and the money, you can go to either program.</p>
<p>"Prestige," as a result, doesn't really differ between either program.</p>
<p>If you want to talk selective, then you would have to look at programs like SSP, and the HYP of summer programs, RSI and TASP</p>
<p>Because it's often a point of confusion, I'll follow up to Nato's post by pointing out that what people generally call 'SSP' is not the same thing as 'Harvard SSP' -- they're two separate programs, and SSP allegedly is in better repute. </p>
<p>As to Cornell and Harvard SSP, I think they are similar in terms of prestige. It is much easier to get into the summer school than the university it's held at, though.</p>
<p>money = attendance</p>
<p>Indeed.</p>
<p>SSP stands for Summer Science Program. Its great! I am actually going to it this year, and my brother went to it 3 years ago. So excited.</p>
<p>Pretty prestigous, I think its admit rate is something like 25% (low for a summer program). Of course, thats laughable compared to RSI and TASP.</p>
<p>Out of 72 peeps, SSP had 9 of its Alums go to MIT, 7 to Caltech, 8 to Harvard, 4 or 5 to Pton, and then the rest were scattered about Ivies and top 30 schools.</p>
<p>Then again, RSI sends like everyone to MIT/Harvard/Princeton/Yale.</p>
<p>Anyhoo, I'm getting ahead of myself here. </p>
<p>Getting back on track,</p>
<p>I did the Cornell Summer program for 6 weeks the summer of my Sophomore year, and loved it! Took undergrad courses in Astrophysics and English 132. While it may be easy to get in at Cornell Summer College, getting A's in their undergrad courses isn't, and doing so can be a nice addition to you resume. They were college credits, so thats cool too.</p>
<p>Let me also make something clear: while these programs may be easy to get into, the return is top-notch. Excellent teachers and rigorous curriculum. They don't give out A's (Not 100% sure about Harvard SSP, but am about Cornell).</p>
<p>But ignoring Academia, both programs are great for the social aspect, as you get to meet tons of cool peeps, and get a taste of what its like to live in a college dorm and such.</p>
<p>I believe Harvard SSP offers a lot more classes than most other universities' programs simply because of the magnitude of its program (1000 high schoolers and more undergrads/graduates). The level of the classes depends on which class you take, though. My professors at SSP last year taught at Amherst and Harvard during the regular year, but I had friends with professors from places like BU. Some of the classes are extremely vigorous: my friend's advanced psychology class was something like 50% grad students. The midterm had to be curved up some 20 points because the average was around a 50%. Then again, my Introductory Macroeconomics class was a breeze (even though there are still people who got Ds in it).
One of the things I liked the most about Harvard SSP was the absolute freedom. You have classes about 12 hours a week, and then you're free to do whatever you want. For example, the gyms are absolutely wonderful and they're free to use. Also, you're free to go into Boston anytime you want and all you need to do is buy a 25 cent token for the subway. </p>
<p>In terms of selectivity, they're pretty much pay-and-go programs. But again, you want to get a class with a good professor at Harvard. Don't worry about it though, cause there's a 3-day "shopping period" in which you can just go around to any class you want and see what it's like. You can switch classes for free within that period.</p>
<p>The cornell Summer College Program has almost 1000, maybe even more, students. They have an incredidibly wide course selection as well.</p>
<p>What is the admit rate like for TASP?</p>
<p>It's about 9% from what I hear. However the program is highly self selective because the application requires that you write many essays, so the applicant pool is generally strong before students are even chosen to attend. RSI application is much shorter with easier essays so the acceptance is only between 4-5%.</p>