Harvard Summer School Experience?

[bayramf]

Planning on going to Harvard SSP this summer for a biology, environmental science, or government program. I’ll probably intern and get a job there as well for the days when I don’t have any classes. With all this in mind is the program worth it? Will it add anything to my application next year (everyone says its bad because high acceptance rate) or help me in any way?

Thank you!

[T26E4]

Anything constructive is good for an application. Be it H SSP or a summer program at BC or BU or Tufts. The H name won’t mean anything to your eventual college apps.

If I may, it’s very costly. Are you sure you want to do such a thing?

[gibby]

I’ll probably intern and get a job there as well for the days when I don’t have any classes.

Unless you already live in the Boston area, and have the time to personally interview at various companies, you’re kidding yourself if you think that will happen. First off, many college students from Harvard, MIT, Boston College, Boston University, Tufts et al spend the summer in Boston and will have already applied for and taken what internships/jobs are available by the time you arrive on campus. Secondly, why would a company hire a high school intern or employee with less experience over a college student? Lastly, very few companies are willing to hire someone for just 7 weeks. IMHO, your plan is highlighting your naiveté.

As to whether SSP is with it, this from @Falcon1 on another SSP thread, which I guess you missed when I previously suggested you search the Harvard forum for SSP threads:

Going to Harvard SSP won’t get you in or keep you out of Harvard. It’s the sum total of who you are, what you’ve done and where you will likely be headed that will be assessed. In that context, if you attend SSP, it will be just one piece of the mosaic.

I feel that Harvard purposely sends mixed signals about whether it helps or not. While they overtly say it won’t increase your chances of admissions, they turn around and ask on the application if you’ve ever attended SSP and, if so, to have the transcript sent to their office. Clearly, mixed signals at the very least.

Harvard SSP is a money-maker for Harvard and despite their $36 billion endowment, they like making money as much as any other college, especially when it is costing them over $100k to educate each student and they are “only” charging $65k with 60-70% of the students receiving financial aid for this. So, it’s in their best interest to keep people guessing. I met a gas station owner at the beginning of two summers ago who was proudly sending his son off to Harvard SSP. He told me that he heard from Harvard itself, that they accept anyone who attends SSP. I tried to gently disabuse him of this idea and spare him his savings, but he would have none of it. His son is now at our state flagship school. Every year, there are scores of SSP’ers who ignore Harvard’s warning and believe if they can just walk on the hallowed grounds, they’ll be anointed with a first class ticket to ride the train later on. If Harvard really wanted to crush the myth, they would simply publish the actual admissions figures for SSP applicants which from what I gather pretty much mirror the overall figures with some adjustment for the self-selected and wealthier pool.

There are some ways in which SSP can help nudge your odds and Gibby has often pointed out one of them - get an A+ and see if the professor will write a recommendation for you. As he notes, this rarely happens so $10k+ for an extremely low odds strategy is quite a gamble. The other way is to take very challenging courses that help fill in an expertise in a particular area that you are building. You don’t have to go to Harvard to do this, but one could imagine that getting great grades at Harvard SSP, at the margin, will be ever viewed ever so slightly more favorably because it demonstrates you can handle their workload. Some eight-credit summer courses at Harvard are extremely brutal, btw. so go in with your eyes wide open.

So, if you have $10k (or whatever it is now) to spare and nothing more interesting to do then go ahead and take some courses. The experience will be challenging and rewarding but not likely to move the needle much, if at all, in your favor. If $10k is a stretch, then there are plenty of other much lower cost options out there that can be much more fruitful. Bon chance!

[bayramf]

@gibby I already have several possible internships lined up if I do decide to do SSP thanks to my dad who knows several people there.

As for it helping me get into Harvard, I won’t even apply to Harvard senior year; it’s more so about how other schools will see it. As for the price, I’m staying off-campus and only taking one class so it’ll cost $3k before financial aid which while still a lot is less than the $10k. @T26E4

[gibby]

FWIW: If you look through the SSP course catalog, you will find . . .

• Biology is only offered as a 7 week course and must be taken in conjunction with a lab for a total of 8 credits. (https://www.summer.harvard.edu/summer-courses/course-catalog?f[0]=course_subject%3ABiological+Sciences)
• Most Environmental studies courses are also 7 weeks, although a few are 3 weeks, so your choices are limited (https://www.summer.harvard.edu/summer-courses/course-catalog?f[0]=course_subject%3AEnvironmental+Studies)
• Ditto with Government courses (https://www.summer.harvard.edu/summer-courses/course-catalog?f[0]=course_subject%3AGovernment)

I won’t even apply to Harvard senior year; it’s more so about how other schools will see it.

Many colleges offer summer school courses. If you will not be applying to Harvard, it would make more sense to take a summer course at the college that interests you the most because truthfully other colleges will not be impressed with Harvard SSP on your resume. In fact, having SSP on your resume might make another college wonder (a) Why didn’t @bayramf take summer courses at our college?, and (b) maybe Harvard is @bayramf’s first choice school?

[compmom]

I think it’s fine to take a class at Harvard Summer School- regardless of where you will be applying. Some of the classes are excellent. But take it because you want to and are interested. Government and biology are quite different directions, and would seem to suggest you are not doing this out of genuine interest but perhaps your interests are multi-faceted.

It’s also fine to do an internship, work, volunteer, or for that matter serve ice cream and mow lawns. A good grade from Harvard summer school would show you can do a certain level of work, but it is certainly not a necessary thing for your applications. Live your life the way you want to and you will end up at the right school.

One of my kids took two or three Harvard summer classes while an undergrad at Harvard, and enjoyed them very much, especially one on Japanese art. But in high school, the last thing she wanted to do in the summer was to study more!! (To be fair here, she did have an artistic interest that she pursued some summers in high school.)

[harshk]

@bayramf even I am attending Harvard Summer school this season. It my earnest request to u, can u please help me find possible internships as well?