HS student Summer Program decision

Applying to College
1

Hey…not sure where to post this so sorry if this is the wrong forum…

I am a high school sophomore in Cheshire, Connecticut. I plan to study engineering once I get to university. In order to get a feel for what engineering entails, I decided to check out some engineering programs. However, I came across two college credit summer programs too - Harvard and Cornell. More details on why i wanna go for these programs are listed below…

Additionally, I’m taking algebra II now… Ideally, I would like to finish Precalculus in summer, then do Calculus Honors in my junior year and finally AP calc in my senior year… If I dont land up doing precalculus in summer, my course plan would be as follows: precalculus honors in junior year and Calculus honors in senior year… I really do wanna be able to do AP calculus…

My search led me to the following:

  1. Worcester Polytechnic institute ( July 10th- July 22nd )

It’s a two week on-campus program which exposes high school students to different fields of engineering ( I will most proably pick Mechanical Engineering since im leaning towards that for now )

( link )

<hr>

  1. Harvard Summer School ( June 25th - August 19 ):

Being able to do Harvard level college courses is attractive and would definately be educative. In addition to this, I figure the name Harvard on my resume could look good… Also, this would enable me to do a Precalculus course …

( link )
__________________________________________________ _________-

  1. Cornell Summer School ( June 27th - August 9 ):

Cornell seems to have a good arabic program wherein they teach arabic courses… I was born and brought up in the middle east and I particularly like Arabic. My conversational skills are very poor although my reading and writing are mediocre… I have always wanted to perfect my arabic skills and this seems like an oppurtunity to do while taking another precalculus / science / writing / economics course or maybe even marksmanship???

( link )

<hr>

  1. Michigan Technological University ( july 17-july 31) :

This program is similar to that of W.P.I. Here, I would pick Engineering Design and Autmotive Engineering ( its to do with cars… ) … I am waitlisted for the mechanical engineering program.

( link )

<hr>

Doing a engineering summer program ( WPI or Mich Tech ) would probably help on my resume ( since its related to the field i wanna major in ) but learning arabic / doing a precalculus/economics/writing course is somethin I’d wanna do… Although, when I think about it, I wont find any use for Arabic for the next 4-5 years ( since i’ll be studying in the US ) …

I’m really confused and any help would be much appreciated… I’m not sure if my post makes any sense but I hope it gets my point across…

Thanks much!

2

<p>I figure the name Harvard on my resume could look good... Also, this would enable me to do a Precalculus course .. </p>

<p>Do the Harvard or Cornell program</p>

<p>Any classes you want to knock out so you can take AP Calc, you can always take them at a community college over the school year. You can take calculus at a community college easily, i hope</p>

<p>Also, don't get caught up in the whole engineering thing. You should try to make your college resume/app as diverse as possible. You don't have to do just math/science over the summer. Learning a new language, especially one as difficult as Arabic would definitely impress any engineering school. Not to mention that most organizations (US Military, The Man) are always looking for fluent Arabic speakers to work in the Middle east.</p>

3

<p>Don't count on the "Harvard" name doing to much for you, lol, but I definitely recommend the program.</p>

4

<p>Your school has an unusual system - a year of Honors Calc, then a year for AP Calc AB? This sounds a little strange to me; I mean, there's no such thing as Calculus for Slow Learners.</p>

<p>Talk to the math department head about your math track. Most seniors who are on track for engineering take AP Calc during high school.</p>

<p>About your summer program - both the WPI and the Cornell Arabic courses sound good, but in completely different directions! Think about which one you would be happy to do every day in lieu of a summer vacation. Don't worry about college credit or a big name.</p>

5

<p>
[quote]
Your school has an unusual system - a year of Honors Calc, then a year for AP Calc AB? This sounds a little strange to me; I mean, there's no such thing as Calculus for Slow Learners.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>There is a regular Calculus course but i'm pretty sure that i can handle an honors or AP course...</p>

6

<p>Sorry, my joke was misinterpreted. What I meant was that around here the 4 year curriculum is Algebra I - Geometry - Algebra II(pre-calc) - AP Calculus(AB or BC). Doesn't your Honors Calculus cover much of the same material as AP Calc AB?</p>

7

<p>study what you have a passion for.</p>

<p>btw: Cornell does an excellent job hosting high schoolers.</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
Sorry, my joke was misinterpreted. What I meant was that around here the 4 year curriculum is Algebra I - Geometry - Algebra II(pre-calc) - AP Calculus(AB or BC). Doesn't your Honors Calculus cover much of the same material as AP Calc AB?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The following is the link for the syllabus ( not very detailed..user:student pass:student ) :</p>

<p><a href="http://www.cheshireacademy.org/uploaded/faculty/EidentS/Syllabus-_calc.doc%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.cheshireacademy.org/uploaded/faculty/EidentS/Syllabus-_calc.doc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It might probably cover the same material but it wont be as indepth as AP calc imo.. Also, since it's an AP course, they would have to maintain "certain standards"...</p>

<p>Also, I figure that Pre-calculus is just a review and hence i'm better of doing precalculus in summer instead of doing Calculus next summer. In additon to this, not doing Calculus this year would mean that I wouldnt be able to take calculus-based college courses next year in physics,etc </p>

<p>
[quote]
btw: Cornell does an excellent job hosting high schoolers.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Did you go take summer courses at Cornell as a HS student?</p>

<p>Thanks much..</p>

9

<p>I think if you did a little bit of self-study, you'd be pretty prepared to take Calc AB after Honors Calc.</p>

<p>I can personally vouch for Cornell Summer College, you learn a ton and it's a lot of fun. As for the resume, my friends from Cornell have done incredibly well college wise. I don't think summer college really helped us that much, rather it was a self-selecting group of motivated+talented kids.</p>

10

<p>Is the Summer College the same as the summer sessoin??? or is it a program specific to a field such as Architecture, Engineering,etc? I wanted to join the Engineering program they had but apparently its open only to rising seniors and not rising juniors.. </p>

<p>
[quote]
As for the resume, my friends from Cornell have done incredibly well college wise

[/quote]
</p>

<p>What do you mean?</p>

<p>
[quote]
I think if you did a little bit of self-study, you'd be pretty prepared to take Calc AB after Honors Calc.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Honors Calc is not different from regular calc ..it's basically just accelerated.. Also, a calculus course is a prerequisite to the AP calc course which means that AP calc must be another year of different/new material... But your right I guess... That would be my option in the worst case if i dont land up taking calc honors this fall..</p>

11

<p>Hmm, Cornell might not be the best choice for you. You're just now finishing your Sophomore year, right? If that's the case, your choices at Cornell are limited to a handful of programs (among them, a medical one, a government one, a business leadership one). I did the government one and absolutely loved it, but it might not fit that well with your interests. There are a lot more choices for after your Junior year.</p>

<p>The honors math sequence at my high school is:
Geometry
Algebra II
Pre-Calculus
AP Calculus AB</p>

<p>Your Honors Calc curriculum seems to cover topics that we cover in AP Calc. It doesn't cover ALL the AP Calc curriculum, but I think you'd be left with a manageable amount to self-study, if you had the desire to do that. Taking Pre-Calc over the summer might be a little bit rushed.</p>

12

<p>I am not attending the Cornell Summer College... I am taking courses ( Cornell summer session ) as opposed to a structured program in a specific field. </p>

<p>
[quote]
Taking Pre-Calc over the summer might be a little bit rushed.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Isnt pre-calc just a review of Algebra II with the introduction of a few new concepts?</p>

13

<p>Pre-Calc at my school did a lot with limits, a ton of trigonometry, the basis of differential calculus, and some probability.</p>

<p>I haven't heard of people doing summer session. Would you be staying in dorms with the summer college kids?</p>

14

<p>
[quote]
Would you be staying in dorms with the summer college kids?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>No, I dont think so..Plus, part of the problem is that i'm 15 ( i'll be turning 16 this december ) and I dont think they allow anyone under 16 to board... but not sure about that.. </p>

<p>The following is the link:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.sce.cornell.edu/ss/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.sce.cornell.edu/ss/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>EDIT: "On-campus housing is not available to high school students unless they are enrolled in the Summer College program." ... I guess that means im not allowed to board.. </p>

<p>
[quote]
Pre-Calc at my school did a lot with limits, a ton of trigonometry, the basis of differential calculus, and some probability

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I see.. so it is as important as the calculus course in itself ( that is, i cant give it low priority compared to Calculus since it forms the basis for it) ? Damn !!!</p>

<p>My main beef with the math courses in my high school here in Connecticut are that they are easy and too dependent on calculators ( they'd use calculators for small arithmetic calculations and graphing stuff instead of teaching us how to graph certain functions ) .... The honors courses wont be any different although the AP will..</p>

<p>I was in Indian school before I came here and our math was very rigorous compared to my current course... We werent allowed to use calculators and it was pretty hard.. </p>

<p>Learning math here at such a slow pace is really boring ( the honors class might address the pace of the class but they still would be too dependent on calculators and seem to make things easier than they should be ) ... I do extra problems simultaneously from my Indian textbooks but I'd still like to take harder courses at high school...</p>

15

<p>Where were you planning on staying if you did Cornell summer session? Relatives? My favorite parts of summer college were the kids I met and the freedoms of college dorm life. You'd be missing out a lot if you didn't get that experience.</p>

<p>Do you get along well with your math teachers? See if one of them that knows how strong you are in math can give you some advice on possible ways to accelerate. If you're "stuck" in a slow moving class, keep challenging yourself. You might want to focus on the AMC/AIME tests ( <a href="http://www.unl.edu/amc/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.unl.edu/amc/&lt;/a> ). There are some materials at <a href="http://www.artofproblemsolving.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.artofproblemsolving.com&lt;/a> that I've heard are fantastic.</p>

16

<p>I might most probably live wih a relative since I cant board... That is one drawback to Cornell, howeever the lure of studying arabic overshadows that :p ! Also since im under 16, i'd probably have Curfew in a dormthus not giving me full freedom ( thats just me consoling myself :p ) ... </p>

<p>I figure that next summer is probably when im gonna get to actually experience dorm life by taking a proper engineering-geared program. </p>

<p>Actually i was browsing for other programs for this summer and I found this :</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ce.columbia.edu/hs/nanotechnology.cfm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ce.columbia.edu/hs/nanotechnology.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Its more for materials engineers.. Do you think it would caater to my Mech-Engg interests? I figured that nanotechnology woud probably have some relation to Mech Engineering! </p>

<p>My math teacher probably doesnt think that I should take the Ap test since in one of her recommendations which she sent to a summer program ( she CC'ed it to me for certain reasons) she mentioned that according to her, my plan of action would probably be Precalc Honors in my junior year and Calc honors in senior year.. She made no mention of AP..</p>

17

<p>Update: i spoke to my math teacher and she told me that as long as I take a precalc exam in august and pass it, I could do calc honors in the fall.. That'd give me enough time to take AP calc AB in my senior year..</p>

18

<p>Jai-That's great! I read your PM, and I was about to PM you back saying that you should be talking to the teacher instead of me. If you work hard over the summer (and find a good program, have you thought about EPGY at Northwestern?), you should do great. Good luck!</p>

19

<p>hmmm.. checked out the EPGY at northwestern website and I dont get it... You sit and take the same online courses of the Stanford EPGY program at the northwestern campus which I could do while logging on from home???? </p>

<p>For the northwestern AP program, i cant take the AP economics course or the other good stuff because I havent satisfied the prerequisites criteria.. </p>

<p>I was considering the Columbia program but the problem is that it includes more of chemistry than physics and I personally dont find chemistry too interesting :( </p>

<p>Its a relief to know that I will be able to calculus honors in fall.. Phew! </p>

<p>Thanks...</p>

20

<p>UPDATE: Narrowed down my choices to UCSB mentorship program and the UPENN Nanotechonlogy precollege program
( <a href="http://www.seas.upenn.edu/saast/nanotechnology.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.seas.upenn.edu/saast/nanotechnology.html&lt;/a> ) ... I tend to think that the UCSB mentorship program will be more beneficial! </p>

<p>Oh well... gonna find a tutor near UPENN or UCSB to teach me Precalc ( online classes in GRAPHING would make it a little hard for me to understand )</p>

<p>I read a post somewhere on this forum that requesting a Professor at a university to help him in his research would help the most... Is ths true? Also, with no prior experience in research and having a math background of only Algebra II ( with trignometry ) and a science background of a Physics course ( have also done Biology and Chemistry in 9th grade and 10th grade but since my previous school followed the Indian board which is kinda like the British System, it was only 1/2 of the full science curriculum which I would have completed in the remaining 2 years of high school had I stayed back in the same school ) , do you guys think I would be able to help the professor in any way?</p>