<p>So next summer, I am planning to have no life. But I have some questions first.
Is it worth spending the money to go to the Secondary School offerred by Harvard in the summer & what's the best year to go? I was thinking summer before senior year...
Other summer camps to attend?
And I've heard of applying going abroad to volunteer. Is there any particular program/organization you travel with?</p>
<p>All top colleges host Summer HS student programs or lease their facilities to outside for-profit companies that host programs. They do this because it preys upon students/families who think that somehow, this will give them a leg up on eventual admissions. They don’t. While there is some level of selectivity in these summer programs, the bar isn’t very high. What attendees do show is their ability to pay.</p>
<p>Same thing with these overseas volunteer programs. If you have the money and inclination, you can go for it. Otherwise, they’re junkets for well-off kids.</p>
<p>Neither is particulary impressive although inherently, the attendees probably benefit. To top schools, they are “meh”. You’ll do fine getting a local job or doing some volunteer work locally and ask mom/dad to send the check to the local Red Cross.</p>
<p>Going to Mexico or Guatemala says one thing: mums and pops got cash. It doesn’t say that you’re particularly dedicated to serving others.</p>
<p>^Agreed 100%.</p>
<p>If you want to get “professional experience,” flip burgers or serve coffee or bag groceries. You’ll make more money than your unpaid internship at a city councilman’s office and you’ll learn more about the world than you will making photocopies there.</p>
<p>If you want to serve others, do it locally. I’m sure your city/town or neighboring ones have food pantries or soup kitchens or the like. Start volunteering there and keep doing it throughout the school year. It’ll cost thousands of dollars less and you’ll be helping people just the same.</p>
<p>Okay thank you so much!
I’ll continue volunteering locally and hopefully I can get a job next summer too.</p>
<p>I disagree with the job advice. In my opinion, it’s better to get a “meaningful” job. Meaningful means if you take the unpaid internship, find a way to turn it into something. Don’t just make copies. Have a plan going in for how you can really contribute. Failing that, find some office job and hopefully find a way to improve their process. Failing that, do something outside. My $0.02.</p>
<p>If you are interested in, do summer programs for fun not to get a leg up. My D went this summer. She had a great time and got to know what it’s like living in a college dorm taking college courses.</p>
<p>One further thought: Of the H students I have met, none of them would describe having a challenging experience as “having no life.” They are aggressively seeking the challenge.</p>
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<p>Rarely does the high school intern have a say in anything, regardless of how talented/ambitious the student is.</p>
<p>@DwightEisenhower,
Disagree. If you listen and speak thoughtfully and convey respect and confidence, people will give you interesting things to do. You have to make it clear through attitude and body language that you will get it done whatever it takes. Like asking every day at the end of the day if there’s anything you can do for tomorrow, and never asking whether something can wait until tomorrow, unless it is physically impossible to do it today, say by midnight. We’ve given summer HS students a lot of responsibility before, or limited responsibility, depending. I’ve actually never seen a case of a student who wants to contribute but gets turned away.</p>
<p>My son was a day camp counselor every summer of high school, and he got in. Jeez, live your life!!! Don’t craft your entire life around getting into college. You are actually supposed to enjoy your teen years.</p>