<p>Hi! I just received a summer school packet from Harvard...but I hope the parents in this forum could give me some advice as to how I should use this opportunity. So here goes...</p>
<p>I know tens of thousands of juniors received the invitation packet from harvard summer school due to their PSAT (99%) score this year. I don't what to do about it. Honestly, I got the impression that IVY-league summer schools display you as cute-little-rich-thing who just has rich parents wiling to pay the money to send you there. </p>
<p>So, my question is this: I'm planning for my summer now and was originally going to do research/internship. However, if I conduct some research while at harvard and take summer school there at the same time, would that be a better option?</p>
<p>Sorry if I sound presumptuous saying i will be at harvard summer school....that's ridiculous i know. but i have to count on the possibilities and decide what i should be looking into: other internships/research, or harvard summer school/research. </p>
<p>Thank you in advance! Congradulations to all the parents of students accepted to colleges!</p>
<p>My take is that a summer program like Harvard's doesn't necessarily help your college application, but it could be quite valuable for you. It gives you a chance to sample life on a college campus and can give you a perspective on what kinds of courses and colleges you are most interested in. </p>
<p>Summer college courses might look appealing on your eventual college application if they show a deepening interest in something that comes across as a passion on your application. In that sense courses like SAT preparation and Essay Writing might look not so good, but summer courses in biology (as an example) might look very good indeed if that is your passion, demonstrated by other extra curriculars like research, internships, etc. etc.</p>
<p>These kinds of courses can also help your parents (grin) accept that their son or daughter might end up at a college at the other end of the country, and handle it just fine.</p>
<p>If the summer school sounds like something that you'd enjoy more than doing research/internship, go for it. I have seen no evidence that " IVY-league summer schools display you as cute-little-rich-thing who just has rich parents wiling to pay the money to send you there. "</p>
<p>The students whom I've known in real life and on boards who attended Harvard's summer school enjoyed it, and felt that they learned a lot. If I could have afforded it, I would have sent my younger S because I am sure that he would have enjoyed the experience, including being in Boston and having peers who shared his intellectual interests. </p>
<p>Going to Harvard's summer school will not help you with admissions. It is not an honor to receive the catalogue, which I would imagine goes to students who score about 1200 and up on the old SAT (since that's approximately the score range that Harvard sends application info to and is the bottom score typically of students accepted to Harvard).</p>
<p>If you think you would enjoy the Harvard program more than doing an internship or research, and you can afford it, then you should do it.</p>
<p>I do not believe that you would have the time to complete meaningful work or research outside of the program, due to classes, work, and the social life. </p>
<p>I would have enjoyed going, but I decided that I would rather work in order to replenish my pocket money and hang out with my friends back home before we all go off to college. It would also disrupt my music studies, which was unacceptable to me. Finally, I thought that I would save my parents the extraordinary amount of money the program costs (this is assuming they would have paid for it, of course). </p>
<p>If any of my reasons apply to you, you should definitely take them into consideration. I think that a well placed internship can be much more gratifying than a summer program, but if you sincerely think that the Harvard summer program would be best for you, then definitely look deeper into it. </p>
<p>It will not help you at Harvard more than any other school's summer program of comperable strength. Colleges will generally look at how you spent you summers in order to get a better picture of what you do with your time when you have the choice and to make sure you spend your time meaningfully.</p>
<p>I did go, and I thought it was a wonderful expirence, and it started my love of philosophy (my current major).</p>
<p>My grandmother paid for it, so money was not an issue for my family. Most of the kids I met and became close with were upper-middle class, and most of them went to very good schools (2 to Harvard, 1 to NYU with scholarship, another to UMich's Honors Program from out-of-state).</p>
<p>While it's not going to help you get into college any more then doing anything else constructive, it's still a great expirence, especially if you've not had the chance to spend a lot of time with intellectual peers or leave home for an extended period before. I definitely grew up while I was there.</p>
<p>Do whatever will make you happiest, and what makes the most sense financially.</p>