<p>Question: We live in the Midwest and our High School Junior is looking at a 4 week residential program at a private University in California with a focus on college level writing. Fees plus transportation costs will top $8,000. Is this worth the money? There’s an old joke about a tourist who is lost in [...]</p>
<p>My children have attended some of these high priced programs during the summers at elite universities (Princeton, Vassar, Yale, Amherst). My youngest daughter (now a sophomore) has attended for three summers–the most recent of which was at Yale last summer. My son, who will be attending Boston College this fall, was at Amherst after his sophomore year, and found that particular program overall to be helpful for SAT prep and for visits to the East Coast schools. (He did say, however, that after doing a different SAT “bootcamp” at his high school during fall of his senior year, it was of greater benefit.) Did any of it matter for the college applications nightmare of this past fall and his subsequent EA and RD admits this spring? It is impossible to know since all of the universities to which he applied use holistic application procedures. Yes, he did include these summer events on his applications since the Common Application asked for “outside” academic programs and college level courses you have taken. Most of the programs both my daughter and he attended had great course offerings, and for me, that was the critical benefit: academic enrichment and the chance to meet other students from all over the world. The programs to which the children were accepted did have entrance qualifications in terms of top 5% standardized test scores, so there was some level of exclusivity to them, but really, at the end of the day, they went because they wanted to and they were willing to sacrifice more time toward a lot of other opportunities (service and sports) to spend another month doing academics. Eight grand for a program at Stanford or USC is insane and when you factor in how much college apps, the zillion tests, and the cost of universities today, I would look for a college level writing preparation program closer to home. Last summer before my son’s senior year, he took university courses–actual ones that ended up boosting his GPA–and I think that fact could have helped because those, along with his AP and honors classes, suggested real ability to be successful in college.</p>
<p>I personally did not attend any and do not see how they could help very much. Students can get just as much enrichment at home during the summer. And the costs for these programs is very high!</p>
<p>Although, if your child knows exactly where they want to go, participating in that schools summer program MAY increase their chances of acceptance. Some summer programs also offer college credits which can be beneficial as well</p>
<p>My son participated in programs that had competitive admission and some scholarships. He did not attend the summer classes type of programs. I can see how the summer classes could be good in that they give the student an introduction to living in a firm, help them see themselves at that type of college, and may give them more challenge or more diverse classes than they would get at their regular school. However, some classes, even at prestigious schools, may not be nearly as challenging as what a student who later might be admitted to those schools would need. The classes get kids on campus and make the colleges money, employ staff, and make use of buildings and equipment. Whether they give the student an edge would depend on the quality of the courses and the way in which it enriches the student’s education. I doubt that going to the Princeton classes help you get into Princeton. It has to make sense for their education. Doing an awesome community project while taking a college writing class at night during the summer might be even better.</p>
<p>You should check out “ask the dean” on this topic. It sounds , to me, that a summer job will get you more bang for your buck in highschool than pricey “pay” programs.</p>
<p>Not worth the money. I think people go to the “XXX” college summer program with the idea it will help them get into college “XXX”. It doesn’t.</p>
<p>I do not think that the price is worth it, and my two boys have been offered similar opportunites. We looked at some more cost effective solutions close to home.</p>
<p>S1 is graduating from high school in two weeks. Two years ago he wanted to transfer out of his high school-a public regional academy high school with a rigorous math and science curriculum. He wanted to go into a program in recording engineering. This was news to my wife and I, since he had stopped guitar lessons a year previously-so we challenged him. We found a class at the local community college in their continuing education program. The class was in using software to manipulate and mix music, and he started taking guitar lessons again. He finished the class, and stopped the guitar several months later. Now he will be starting college in the fall as a psychology major, with a goal of becomming a licensed therapist. We spent some money exploring options, and we were able to rule out one of his interests as a chosen course of study. </p>
<p>S2 (a junior in HS this year) saw that we paid for a class at the local community college for his brother, and asked if we could do the same for him. He just completed a class in computer programming (he now has his ASP.net certification, FWIW), and we are looking at schools with a program in computer engineering. Will this class help him get into a particular program? I doubt it-but more importantly it has helped to clarify what he is looking for in his college search.</p>
<p>The OP asked about pricey summer programs, and neither one of my sons signed up for any of them, despite several mailings, so I can’t comment on them directly. My point is that if your child has an interest, there are numerous options close to home. Take a class (non matriculating) at a local college. Into creative writing? Enter a local writing or poetry contest.</p>