<p>I went to my college counselor today, and she told me that summer programs aren't helpful in college admissions (or at least not VERY helpful). I originally wanted to do a STEM program at USF because it centered somewhat on researching environmental issues, but what I really wanted to do was something animal-related (because I want to become a veterinarian, major in animal sciences, etc.) not so much the research aspect. I found this program about working with dolphins [url=<a href="http://www.dolphins.org/dolphin_lab_camp1517.php%5Dhere%5B/url">http://www.dolphins.org/dolphin_lab_camp1517.php]here[/url</a>]. I really want to do it for the animal experience and learning, but I was just wondering if it would appeal to colleges at all?</p>
<p>If you’re doing a summer program for college admissions, don’t waste your money. Do a program because you’re interested in it, not to strengthen a resume.</p>
<p>…I just said at the end that I wanted to do it for the animal experience (hence why I decided not to do the USF STEM program). I was just wondering if there was a point in mentioning that I took this summer program to colleges.</p>
<p>…bump…</p>
<p>My kids did lots of summer programs. They learned a lot and they helped them shape what they wanted to study. Did it help in admissions? How would we know?</p>
<p>If you want the experience, then you should do it. Is it worth mentioning to colleges? No one knows (except for the admissions officers) but if you have some really awesome experiences at the program, you could certainly write about those in your essays! I guess it may also show that you’re actively exploring your interests.</p>
<p>If you’re interested in becoming a vet, why not intern or at least shadow a local veterinarian? You’ll save a lot of money and get to see what it’s really like to be a vet.</p>
<p>I’m actually also thinking about shadowing/volunteering/interning at a local vet clinic the month before the summer program. The only thing is I’m afraid they won’t let me do it because of my age. I’m 15 and most usually require 16+ or 18+.</p>
<p>Oh okay, that’s good! You should definitely contact the local vets as soon as possible to find out if you can do it or not, so you can plan out your summer better. Also if you wait too long to ask, some other student might ask before you, and they might be unwilling to let too many people shadow at the same time.
Make sure to express your sincere interest in veterinary medicine and show that you are mature enough to handle it!</p>
<p>Alright 
Thank you! Do you suggest emailing or going in in person? I was thinking of actually doing it tomorrow haha (I was planning it this entire week!). Should I also bring anything special? I read somewhere that you should have a resume of some sort…</p>
<p>My D did a couple of summer programs, and here was the impact on college admissions:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>At one program she took two college classes in three weeks for credit. The workload was crazy heavy, but she loved it. She talked about that experience to some of the more difficult colleges she applied to in “why college x” essays, since she wanted to find a college that replicated that experience to some extent.</p></li>
<li><p>She attended a summer engineering program last year that did a three week group project. It really taught her that she did NOT want to be an engineer. But her group was successful in their project, and she was able to talk about that in her essay to a top STEM school where she applied (and is now attending).</p></li>
</ul>
<p>She got into every school she applied to. So I think you want to attend programs or experiences that you are genuinely interested in. And then they MAY give you some material you can use in college essays, or help you think about career/major direction (also helpful in the essays sometimes). But I think admissions office can smell a “fake” story or discussion of your experience a mile away. So only do things you are really interested in. The vet experience sounds like a good one for this summer.</p>
<p>I would go in person. It is nice to have some kind of resume to leave if the person you need to talk to is not there. If the person to talk to is not there, ask if you can leave a resume and call later. However… going on a Sunday (tomorrow) may not be a good idea. The vets in our area do not have Sunday hours unless they are emergency vet clinics.</p>
<p>If this doesn’t work out, maybe you could volunteer at your local humane society this summer if they don’t have an age limit.</p>
<p>Yup basically what intparent said. You could also email/call AND go in person! Do whatever you need to get that opportunity x)</p>
<p>Can you volunteer at your local animal shelter? Wildlife center? Zoo? Or any other animal-related organizations? Those are all great ways to get more animal experience without spending $1500 (even though dolphins are cool!)</p>
<p>To share my own story: I’ve done summer programs every summer since after 8th grade. Two summers, I took classes at Berkeley (not for credit, just for fun/personal enrichment); the next summer, I did COSMOS and realized I didn’t want to do marine biology as a career; and last summer, I did a research program which was really fun and gave me some college credit! It also made me consider research as a possible career.</p>
<p>I really enjoyed all of the programs I went to! I didn’t write about any of them in my college essays because I had other stuff to write about, but I did list them somewhere on my college app. I got into all of the colleges I applied to as well. I think it did help me a bit in college admissions, seeing that all of the programs I went to were science programs and I’m majoring in science.</p>