<p>Hi guys,
as I wait for an acceptance (or rejection :s) letter from the nice folk from Harvard College, I decided to study or work during the Summer. I still don't know if I'm going to do an internship in Europe or if I'm going to a Summer School in America. </p>
<p>My question is: The fees at HSS are really high. Is the money I'm spending worth it? (in terms of: quality of classes/reputation of the HSS)</p>
<p>Even if I get accepted, I still might decide to study Law here in Portugal (a prominent law school offered me a full scholarship and guarantees of having top (and I mean true top) faculty watching over me) If I decide to stay in Portugal, can the HSS make my curriculum look any better for a future LLM or MBA degree in a top US school?</p>
<p>P.S.: Is any other summer school worth the money and time?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>HSS, or really any American college summer program, will not make your credentials any more impressive. You are simply paying for a chance to learn from accomplished professors and see what Harvard’s campus is like. Any college to which you apply will know that most of the time going to summer school is just a reflection of your ability to pay because, well, that college does the same thing.</p>
<p>Caveat: If you have some unique research interest and experience, I suppose it’s possible that it’s a good chance to network with professors. This won’t help you get in either except insofar as it develops an interest you already have. I don’t know how often this happens.</p>
<p>So, do go to summer school if you want to see what Harvard’s campus is like or you want to take (potentially?) cool classes. Don’t go if you think it will help you get into a program of some kind because it isn’t respected enough to do that. Whether it’s worth the cost depends on your financial priorities.</p>
<p>I thought Harvard Summer School was excellent and well worth the time. However, as Dwight said, prestige doesn’t matter for summer school so don’t do it for that reason. Finances weren’t an issue for me, so I can’t speak about that factor.</p>
<p>Also, they do have fun extracurricular programs that would enrich your summer experience, like, for instance, a trip to Martha’s Vineyard.</p>