<p>I got a mailing from Harvard about SSP: <a href=“http://www.ssp.harvard.edu/[/url]”>http://www.ssp.harvard.edu/</a></p>
<p>Is this program worth going to? What’s it really about? Does it help with future college admissions?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>same question.
how competitive is this program?</p>
<p>From what I hear it's not that competitive and it won't give you much of an edge.</p>
<p>HH05 is right. It's only good if you have the money and are willing to enjoy the classes. It doesn't give you a competitive edge, just a potentially good and potentially expensive summer.</p>
<p>Can it provide opportunities to network with big name people?</p>
<p>maybe, if you play your cards right. some of the courses are taught by harvard profs, some aren't. you can also find opportunities to comp (for eight weeks, anyway) at the Crimson, play in the orchestra, sing, etc.</p>
<p>i went, it's not competitive at all, one person got in with 900 on SAT I, anyway, it's basically you pay you go. You get the lectures and live at HARVARD. but yeah, nothing special. Is it worth going to? emmm, well i went, i thought it was a good experience, even though i almost got a C, but i thought overall, i learned what i should do to prepare for University. But it's nothing special, not selective, not competitive. and it's all about the $.
you get no edge!!! friends got A and worked with a professor, had HARVARD professor recs, high scores (1570+ new to english, 2 years, everything an idea candidate had and also the passion (tutoring poor people etc.) and exceptional essay) applied to Harvard, straight out reject, while other people got defered with crappier stats. so meh</p>
<p>I would encourage you to check out the program and consider applying if you have the money to attend. I went and while I'm not sure if it helped me in the admissions process or not, it was all-around a great experience. What it did do was give me a sense of what being a Harvard student was like, which is difficult to get from a campus tour or even by visiting classes and that positive experience cinched my decision to come here. By participating in this program, you have the opportunity to take two college classes, a number of which were taught by Harvard profs, participate in extracurriculars like Crimson and choral groups (as Newbyreborn pointed out) and just get to see what the social life here is like. It may or may not help with admissions, but may help you with scholarships if you have a unique experience...and even if it doesn't, you should consider it on the basis of what you can learn from it and to get a better sense of a school which you are clearly considering.</p>
<p>what classes did you guys take there? Also, what PSAT score would allow one to get accepted? Thanks!</p>
<p>woocollege--I took neurobiology and creative writing. I don't know what PSAT score you need to get in, but I had 99%/228 SI.</p>
<p>I think access to the Harvard library would be interesting. Is this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity or is it just for fun?</p>
<p>If you go only for summer school, it is. If you end up going to H, no, it's not a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because you will have access for 4 years and alumni privilieges. Non-H-affiliated do not have access to the library and it is quite impressive.</p>
<p>I would definently reccommend the program. I met the most amazing people and I had alot of fun in boston and everywhere around. The classes were great and I enjoyed them.</p>
<p>Are there any later privileges for alumni of SSP?</p>
<p>don't count on it</p>
<p>oh yeah, just wanna say Widenner library was like a hotel. and also, you do meet some interesting people. But the food was pretty bad. I had horrible roomates though, they don't sleep!!! 5 of them!!!!! so yeah, the housing was not the best experience for me.</p>
<p>What dorm did you live in Newbyreborn?????</p>
<p>Is there any financial aid for this program, need-based or merit-based?</p>
<p>How challenging is the program? Last summer I took some courses at a local university and was pretty burned out from the school year. The burnout just carried over through the summer and I didn't want to open a textbook when I hit the school year.</p>
<p>I'm looking at taking a history course (probably the one about the Civil War) and one of the astronomy courses. It doesn't look like the actual classes will occupy too much time, but how much outside work should I expect to get?</p>
<p>Well it all depends on the course. My friends who took psychology did absolutely no work in the dorms but my roomate who took biology was forced to carry his bio book everywhere with him since there were such large reading requirements. The history class should also have plenty of hours of reading so you better prepare yourself.</p>