How important are summer programs & internships for college admissions?

<p>^My kid who got into U of Chicago did nothing intellectual over the summer. What he did do was write a pretty wacky essay, with a funny ending and another essay about a volunteer activity where he describes what he learned about the history of our neighborhood through archiving the papers of the neighborhood association. He showed himself thinking like a historian by the way he wrote about the subject.</p>

<p>^I guess it proves collegealum’s point that U Chicago is not as a competitive of school as other top 10 schools. I was wrong.</p>

<p>Mom 2 jl, liked your post and agree. And he arrived at college in good shape, no doubt, without the burnout and competitive intensity of so many others.</p>

<p>This thread has been completely insightful and wonderful to read but I have one question. I am a rising senior while doing an internship right now during the summer but I wonder how do the admissions officers of various colleges know if I am doing this internship or not. How do colleges know if students actually do a college program, internship, or take a class?</p>

<p>The whole question of “how important are summer programs” presupposes that you’re racking up points, and summer programs give you x number of points. They may be important in the overall profile of one kid, and unimportant for another.</p>

<p>Gag, college alum314 -cornell and u Chicago “aren’t so competitive” that they’re impressed by an A in a summer course because gosh, they’d like to get their mitts on some A students for a change? Where did you come up with that one?</p>

<p>How important would you say 4 summers of research in a lab are towards admissions to schools that are categorized as having “high research activity” (UPenn, UNC, UCLA, Cal, etc…)</p>

<p>Aznasty, you tell the colleges on the application. The common app will ask about your activities, programs you have done, jobs, etc.</p>

<p>Limitless, honest, it is not worth it to do things just to get into schools. Do you enjoy research? Is there anything else you would like to try out before going to college?</p>

<p>Overplanning your life can actually limit opportunities in the long run.</p>

<p>But if research is something you really love, go for it, because chances are you will have more interesting work as you gain experience.</p>

<p>Limitless, it is rather like saying “How important is having green eyes in a guy or girl I want to date.” Sometimes it’ll be appealing, sometimes it won’t be. It’s all part of the package. It’s not points that you are racking up. If this is genuinely something that interests you, go for it. If you’re trying to check off a box, don’t.</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>I find this statement rather bizarre. A student’s transcript, rigor of classes, test scores and essay are enough to show the intelligence of student and creating some kind of community service organization sounds to me like something a paid college adviser would tell a client to do.</p>

<p>The whole thing’s bizarre. As if Cornell or U Chicago admissions counselors are thinking, “Gosh, that kid got an A in a class. We sure don’t get a lot of A students 'round these parts. Better snap 'em up!” I"m hoping that collegealum314 was posting on an iPad or something and just made some terrible typos.</p>

<p>And please, don’t you think advisers can see through the made-up community service organizations? My kids didn’t do any of that nonsense.</p>

<p>I got in to a top school without any of that expensive stuff.</p>

<p>You know what I did every summer? Worked my rear off for minimum wage as a cashier, and went to XC practice. I think I got more out of those, anyway, since my job taught me a LOT about the working world, and I’m a manager now, and XC is awesome.</p>

<p>I would think for those colleges that ask what you do the 2 previous summers(HY) is what matters to them.</p>

<p>Aznesty, there will be a chart that you fill out which asks about work or volunteer experience. One of your personal essays may also be a good place to write about what you did during the summer. My son who got into Chicago, didn’t write about his experience in my architectural office, per se, but his Chicago essay described a green building. For the Common Application essay about his favorite extra curricular activity he wrote about his volunteer work. I have a friend whose daughter wrote about her summer job scooping ice cream.</p>

<p>I haven’t applies to college yet, I’ll be a senior next year. I spent my middle school and the beginning of high school summers doing JHUs CTY, it’s expensive and meant my family was putting away money all year to send me, but it was well worth it and changed me a a person. Now I volunteer, helping my mom’s office (she works in a school system’s Autism Services) prepare for ESY and volunteering at my county’s nature conservancy’s summer camp. I don’t know how that will look, but that’s what I’ve done.</p>

<p>uhoh this looks bad for me. i havent done anything all summer -.-</p>

<p>admirable reaction, rmldad. but i must say, at every admissions interview, my daughter, now an incoming Freshman headed to a liberal arts college, was asked first, foremost and with greatest interest about the fact that she attended the Writers Workshop at University of Iowa one summer. Yes, perhaps just because it provided an opening to talk about writing, but it was ALWAYS the thing zeroed in on during the college interviews… so it began to seem to her/us the thing they clearly valued or were impressed by, more than anything else she had done. I suppose it’s the whole ‘validation’ game… If she had not gone to the Workshop and only been able to talk about how much she loved writing , they would have had no way to judge whether that meant anything (to them). So, in short, I see these summer programs serving as some kind of “proof” for Admissions folks, that the student really is interested in what they claim to be interested in ! And possibly even talented.</p>

<p>As I mentioned upthread, I think that there are some selective summer programs that may help, because they “prescreen” you. TASP is a fine example (and it’s free), but there are some programs that cost money that seem to be in this category, too, and the Writer’s Workshop at Iowa is one of them. It’s pretty selective. Another one, for musicians, is the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Getting into some of these is pretty good evidence that you’re actually good at what you’re interested in–something that can be hard to tell from your high school resume.</p>

<h2>

</p>

<p>Right there with you.</p>

<p>There are quite a few U-based summer programs that offer full scholarships if there is need. D’15 just finished 3 weeks studying neuroscience and disease at Brown. She had to get LORs, write an essay, send transcript, etc., but it was very nearly free, for her. She will get her final exam grade with a letter from her professor. And, as it turns out, a lab internship possibility for next summer with that professor.</p>

<p>The rest of her summer is volleyball camp/practice/summer league and hanging out with her friends. </p>

<p>S’12 used to swim competitively most of the summer but now works instead, at a restaurant. And went on tour with a band for a bit :)</p>

<p>Not to really disagree with post #14, but going to an expensive summer program can help in one respect…the admission committee can see that you are likely to be a full pay student! So when it comes down to those last few spots in a school that is need aware…who knows?</p>

<p>But if your family is not able to write that big check for a fancy summer program, and still pay for college, the money is better spent on college expenses.</p>