<p>I'm a graduating high school senior planning to attend one of the Pre-college programs. I was just wondering if it is really worth at this point. Do these programs play any role in my medical school and other graduate school applications? I mean I would still go out of interest and curiosity, but I just wanted to know how much they actually matter to outsiders like graduate schools. Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>Is it worth it? The only reason my kids are going to Pre-College Programs are to confirm their interest in a particular area or to get a taste for a specific college and/or college life. The program probably won’t make much of a difference to a college other than show you have a passion for a particular subject and were willing to explore that area for a couple of weeks during the summer. </p>
<p>My oldest daughter is going to the Marist Pre-College Criminal Justice Summer Program because she wants to be a homicide detective someday and wants to major in criminal justice. In the Marist program, they go to a Police Academy, visit NYPD, ATF, Secret Service, the court systems, etc… plus study some criminal justice. This experience will confirm for her whether she wants to go down this track. To me, this is a valuable experience but it probably won’t mean much for a college application. </p>
<p>My youngest will probably go to a program like Georgetown’s Pre-College Medical Summer Program to get a good view on medical life. Again, this is for her to learn more about the field and confirm if she truly wants to go down that path. If you already know what you want to do and are committed to that path then you probably don’t need to attend a program. </p>
<p>That’s my opinion anyway. Good luck to you in whatever you do.</p>