<p>Spend time with friends from high school and go out volunteer</p>
<p>@rmldad-- its sad that you roll your eyes at the kids who do summer programs… my dd14 is currently doing her 2nd program and we are low income/needed scholarships. She had to turn one program down b/c too little FA was given.</p>
<p>The reason for these summer programs is to learn new and interesting material, keep her focused on the task at hand, which is ultimately to apply to college next year, learn about life, herself and others/ and have a successful/happy/golden life. </p>
<p>Where we live, the summer can be a breeding ground for lifes ills. Especially those who are not able to find work in this economy and with idle time to play in the devils workshop.</p>
<p>During the summers, she is amongst those who take education very seriously, learning wonderful skills and away from this city. She is definitely an outlier and none of her friends are on the same path that she is. Nor do they have parents like me who have high expectations/cheering them on. </p>
<p>I would hope that in the future, you will take into account the students background before your impatience starts to rise.</p>
<p>Geomom, You’d be surprised at how many free and low cost summer programs there are: NSLI-Y for summer study abroad of critical need languages; StarTalk for the same but in the U.S.; many women in engineering and computing camps on college campuses; programs with merit scholarships such as Ole Miss’ Summer College for High School Students… TASP and RSI may be the most famous but I think that any selective program that offers scholarships is meaningful and so are many programs that charge. As they say, YMMV.</p>
<p>Like whyivy said, spend time with friends.</p>
<p>as long as you don’t waste your summer watching TV, playing video games, you’re good. College is a big deal, yes but doesn’t mean you give up everything for it. You’re in high school, not college. Once you’re in college, your summers are gone. I regret not “chilling” or taking a break during high school. All I can do is think about what I could have done. Don’t try to make high school “college”.</p>
<p>I couldn’t agree more with NewHavenCTMom. My son has done several free/reduced price Summer programs since Middle school in several different states. He has met amazing people, experienced great campuses and learned a lot along the way. It would be sad an admissions counselor would look down on those experiences.</p>
<p>Many selective programs are free, and they give adcoms another piece of information about an applicant. </p>
<p>Both of our kids went to ballet intensives most summers, but for their junior year they applied to few competitive summer programs. D1 went to our state’s Governor school program, and D2 went to one which was privately funded. They both worked hard at those programs - classes from 8 to late at night, but they met many students with like minds, which made the summer very enjoyable. To get into those programs, you need to plan ahead, the process is as tough as college application - LORs, essays, interviews. </p>
<p>Summer “activities” (not program) are important for very tippy top schools because they are looking for students who get involved, have a passion, have intellectual curiousit… and sitting around all summer doing nothing do not demonstrate any of those characteristics. On the hand, meaningful activity doesn’t always mean expensive or exotic.</p>
<p>I know many parents have poo-pooed paid college summer programs, but it does demonstrate a certain interest/knowledge of a college when it comes to application. A student could take some very interesting college level courses, and if able to receivegood grades that’s also another piece of data for adcoms (maybe even getting a LOR from a professor).</p>
<p>Working is always a good thing, many skills could be learned. My nephew is working at a campus cafeteria this summer and interning at a hotel (for free) to gain work experience, which is necessary for Cornell’s hotel school application.</p>
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<p>I think this is the most on point. </p>
<p>The important thing is to do SOMETHING.</p>
<p>I’ll give you an example:</p>
<p>The summer after 9th grade: This summer I moved. It was hectic. I ended up going to CTY genetics and volunteering at a convalescent hospital. Neither were particularly prestigious, but both were extremely helpful. Genetics helped me outline my future goals and I remain involved, with a leadership position, at the convalescent hospital. </p>
<p>After 10th: I PAID $4k (had a partial scholarship) to spend 7 weeks abroad. I interned in a lab and lived in a dorm with a local student. It was an awesome experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It is also important to note that I held two part time jobs throughout the school year and raised the money for the trip myself - unless your family is so low income that they need you to contribute to monthly expenses, it is certainly doable to raise money for something yourself. </p>
<p>After 11th: I am currently doing (and being paid for) an 8 week internship at Stanford through a program called SIMR. I realize that not everyone has this opportunity, as the acceptance rate is well under 10%, but if this sort of thing is within your reach, apply! I applied to 7 internships and was accepted to 2 - it takes perseverance and certainly a bit of luck.</p>
<p>Though I have spent my summers in programs, it certainly isn’t the only way, or even the best way, to go. Working a job, volunteering, taking a couple classes, playing sports, etc. are also great options. The most important thing is to just do what you enjoy and show adcoms that you didn’t just take a 2 1/2 month vacation (of course some vacation time is okay). </p>
<p>I would caution people when selecting “volunteer abroad” programs or courses such as summer @ brown. These should not be undertaken for prestige, but rather for interest in a subject. I think experiences such as these work very well in the first half of high school (I did CTY afterall 
), but in the latter years I think a more proactive experience can be much more beneficial i.e. having a job or volunteering. I also think it’s important to note that while summer @ brown may be more fun, a CC class can be just as beneficial, and cheaper for families who wouldn’t receive financial aid from summer programs.</p>
<p>Summer after 9th: relaxed, hung out with friends
Summer after 10th: worked part time at grocery store
Summer after 11th: worked at the grocery store again, went to Boys State</p>
<p>I never paid to go to any fancy programs. I even did “nothing” after freshman year. I still ended up getting accepted to an Ivy and had some other good options. In my opinion, working can be just as valuable for an application as any camp.</p>
<p>My son went to CTD (similar to CTY, but based in the midwest) on Northwestern’s campus, but not because he thought it would improve chances - simply because he really enjoyed the subject matter. He got a LOT out of those classes, he liked the experience of living on a college campus (except for when I cried when I moved him into the dorm I occupied soph year, LOL), and he was able to leverage his knowledge of the campus in the “why NU” essay. I’m fully aware it might have painted him as rich-kid, but he learned a lot about himself (changing his interest area from A to B based on what he did / learned in CTD), and got a lot of maturity from the experience, so … at the end of the day, that’s the reason to do things. He also went to summer camp one year (he’s now a counselor there) and again - not to impress anyone, but because that’s an important experience for him. </p>
<p>My daughter also attended CTD but also worked at a paying job over the summer. </p>
<p>I think you have to choose these types of courses if you genuinely think you would enjoy / get a lot out of them, not because they’re going to do much for an application.</p>
<p>These are the most beneficial:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Do something at a top university or top firm</p></li>
<li><p>Do something that will help an activity you already do, increase your wins, etc (Went to VBI Debate Seminars at U Loyola in CA for my summer)</p></li>
<li><p>Do something that doesn’t cost much but has impact (hospital volunteering)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The Princeton admissions officer who read my application told me at Princeton Preview that it’s almost expected that students do something during the summer before senior year. He added that even more students are doing something during the summers before junior and sophomore years as well.</p>
<p>However, this something doesn’t have to be a summer program you pay for. The Princeton admissions officer described this “something” as an activity that rounds out a component of an applicant’s profile. For example, mock trial was a big component of my application; my admissions officer told me that my summer internship with the County DA’s Office before my senior year really highlighted my commitment/passion for mock trial (and, naturally, for law).</p>
<p>So, what’s important isn’t the name of the summer program; what’s important is how it relates to your interests (or how it makes you interested in something new). But you have do be doing something of use, especially before senior year.</p>
<p>I’ll enter my own observation that whatever a kids does during HS summers, it will not hurt his/her application. So if chilling and refueling from hard academic year, working for $$, traveling, attending paid for summer program, etc, none of that will hurt the applicant. However, for admission consideration at many highly selective universities with holistic review, these summers do offer opportunities for the applicant to distinguish him/herself from the pile of other extremely well qualified files the adcom is considering. If she writes a play and gets a student troupe to perform it, or works in a lab and makes a contribution, or initiates any sort of activity that enhances known interests–like fundraising, art, starting a website, research, etc etc, this will all help tell that student’s story. When added to good grades, scores, and choice of major, the adcom can see how much initiative that student has.</p>
<p>The only trouble with paid-for summer programs (aside from the connotation of family wealth), is they may appear as passive activities. The student arrives and follows the program. Often, the student writes a paper, creates an art piece, gains specific insights into the culture, etc at the program and these can be used in the essay, I feel, to help the adcom see how such programs have helped the student’s growth and independence.</p>
<p>I hope a lot of people on CC get to read this by the head of admissions at Harvard, concerning the stress level involved in doing all the right things to get into selective schools:</p>
<p>[Harvard</a> College Admissions § Applying: Taking Time Off](<a href=“http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/time_off/index.html]Harvard”>http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/time_off/index.html)</p>
<p>The burnout, depression and anxiety rate at Ivy league and other “top” schools is very high. The game of “doing the right thing” just continues through the college years, with a new focus of Wall Street or grad/med/law/business school.</p>
<p>There are many, many great schools out there. Loren Pope’s books are helpful in getting a start at looking at some of them, but there are many other resources as well.</p>
<p>I think it is healthy to stay home and chill a little, during high school summers, while also working or volunteering at something that either interests you or pays some bills, ideally both - but working w/out pay can be worthwhile financially in the long run.</p>
<p>How about a clever essay about the joys of doing nothing once in awhile?!</p>
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<p>Bingo. In my experience as an alumni interviewer it’s very, very difficult to impress an ad com with a summer activity per se. What matters is that you can reflect on the experience intelligently.</p>
<p>From what I’ve read, it’s only the free elite programs that make good impression. The pay-for programs can be very useful to the student, but they are not worth financial sacrifice in hopes of an admit boost. </p>
<p>Methinks kids should do what interests them in hs and not expect an Ivy admit. If it comes, they should consider it a bonus. The truth is there are soooo many students applying that is is a crapshoot for most anyway.</p>
<p>Summer programs do not help for the vast majority of top 10 colleges (outside of ones that are extremely exclusive like RSI). It might help at Caltech and maybe MIT. Also, it might help for good colleges outside of the top 10, though, particularly if you can demonstrate academic prowess through aforementioned program (for instance, getting an “A” in a college class.)</p>
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Since there are only 10, which of top 10s do not consider summer programs important? Just out of curiousity, how would you which one considers summer programs important and which one doesn’t?</p>
<p>^My feeling is that taking a college class or some other academic experience would help in Caltech admissions and maybe in MIT admissions. A ton of people I met at MIT had taken college classes the summer after junior year, though that was in the 90’s and MIT doesn’t have the same selection criteria.</p>
<p>Also, maybe places like Cornell or U. of Chicago, places not quite so competitive that a display of academic prowess like getting an ‘A’ in a college class would still be an asset. (Also, U. of Chicago places a special emphasis on recruiting intellectuals.) For the others, you would be better off spending it creating some kind of community service organization the summer before junior year.</p>
<p>How do I know? Well, observation of college results and rhetoric from admissions offices I guess. It’s not an exact science.</p>
<p>My son was admitted to all of the schools he applied to, including Stanford, where he will attend in September. Because he worked so hard during the school year and was very stressed out, we were of the mind that it was important for him to recharge his batteries every summer. So, he mostly relaxed by reading, hanging out with his friends (mostly playing video games) and traveling on family trips. Besides his good grades and test scores, I’m sure the reason he was admitted to several top schools was probably because of his well-written, insightful essays and maybe his recommendations. The fact that he wasn’t very busy in the summers didn’t seem to be a factor, at least for him.</p>
<p>Cornell’s Hotel school absolutely requires hospitality work experience. If U of Chicago look for intellectuals, then they would like their applicants to have been selected to some highly selective summer programs or some meaningful summer EC. I think students from Chicago would tell you that it is highly competitive, and self selecting. For all of those schools, it takes a lot more than just getting As to be admitted. They turn down quite a few 4.0 students.</p>