New Forum: Summer Programs

<p>Here's the last in our trio of new forums - Summer Programs. It's the place to talk about what to do with those pesky breaks between school ending and starting up again, ranging from formal college coursework , NSF-funded science programs, etc.</p>

<p>I am an incoming freshman, and I am very interested to know what people suggest I do for each of the five summers from this one through the one right after graduation.</p>

<p>I am going to UNC. Interested in business, journalism, and language, among many other things. I can give more details if they'll help, but I'm really just interested in what ideas people toss around.</p>

<p>since when is summer pesky?</p>

<p>This is a great idea!
My rising senior HS son needs extracuricular activities to reinforce his resume for when he applies to college.
He's gifted in languages, and we're looking for "study abroad" programs geared towards HS students.
Does anybody have any experience in this area?
We've seen the offerings from the largest 2 companies but need referrals.
Thanks;
RB</p>

<p>Thanks Moderators!</p>

<p>rskibum-</p>

<p>Last year, I traveled to Japan with a neighboring high school for three weeks after becoming involved in their Japanese program.</p>

<p>It was a great experience, and I recommend something similar for anyone interested in languages/cultures.</p>

<p>If you're looking for something more long term, my friend was in Germany for a year on an exchange program.</p>

<p>Just ask around locally among those that teach the language your son is most interested in. That's how I found out about my trip.</p>

<p>i went to Presidential Classroom's international youth summit, it was totally amazing
i mean it's only a week long, but i met so many kids from all over the world</p>

<p>In the summer between my junior and senior, I went to Thailand with a program called the Experiment in International Living. I lived with a Thai family for two weeks and for the other three weeks I traveled around the country with a group of ten other high school students from the US (a couple from out of the US too). It was an amazing experience. EIL offers programs in so many different countries too. Some local rotary clubs offer scholarships to these programs so check around.
<a href="http://www.usexperiment.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.usexperiment.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>In a couple of weeks I will be heading to Costa Rica for four and a half weeks with ICADS Costa Rica. It is considerably less expensive than similar programs and it is highly respected.
<a href="http://www.icadscr.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.icadscr.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The summer after my freshman year of high school I went to London, my first real experience outside of America (I'd been to ghana a couple of times but I was younger). After sophmore year I went to Spain with a teacher at my school where I took Spanish classes, it was an amazing experience and encouraged me a lot...a few years later I am planning on double majoring at my University in the fall with spanish and psych pre-med; that summer I also volunteered an academic camp. after junior year i worked for a little bit then i took classes at Davidson College for three weeks which helped introduce me to "college life" as I lived in a dorm and the school's professors taught their classes in a condensed intensive manner.
basically as far as High School goes...do something. no matter what if you cant find a program in your price range volunteer at a daycare or homeless shelter. being involved helps to stimulate your brain during the long drowsy summer. further when it comes time to fill out applications and they ask what you did or to describe your passions your summer activities can serve as great examples. </p>

<p>that being said...what should i do in college?</p>

<p>This was a really really great idea, thanks for putting it into action. Summer is a loong time and can mean a lot on college apps, and a place to discuss enrichment seems needed for the intelligent kids on these forums =)</p>

<p><em>gasp</em> This is just what I need!</p>

<p>i'm still a freshman in high school, but i've done John Hopkins' CTY program for the past 4 years, and am continuing this year. Although probably not a huge boost for your resume for camp, it is a great learning experiance (academically, socially, and... learning to do your laundry/make a budget-cally) and i highly recomend it</p>

<p>Thanks, Torretowers and everone else for the feedback!
We'll investigate and hopefully will find something for him for the summer.</p>

<p>how much do colleges care about what you do during the summers?</p>

<p>a lot . . . I heard that sometimes what you do over the summer sprouts up in interview questions and it plays a big part in many people's extracurriculars.</p>

<p>It must play a huge roll when the options are delivering pizza vs. a summer immersion program in a foreign country. It will tip the scales in favor of the student and can make or break admission to the college of choice.</p>

<p>Programs I have enjoyed:
<em>Concordia Language Villages</em>
One month immersion program for a year of foreign language credit. Older kids (over 17, 18?) might consider applying to be CITs, especially if they're interested but want/need to work for the summer. The camp is great, although it is definitely camp-y. I learned more here in a month than I did in a year of school classes and I completely recommend the program. Kids with little language experience should not be afraid of it, although kids who literally speak nothing might not be able to get as much out of it. Kids who speak nothing go, though. </p>

<p><em>Rhode Island School of Design Summer Pre-College Program</em>
Amazing! 6-week art program on the RISD campus, lots of freedom but also plenty of work and a rewarding experience. There's also lots of homework because artwork takes a lot longer than schoolwork (since it can always be better). If your child is considering art school, this is a good way to find out whether or not that's really the way to go. Then again, plenty of kids who aren't considering art school go, too, so don't feel intimidated by that. Warning: this program is expensive, so parents might want to make their kids pay for part of it. It's completely worth it, though. </p>

<p>Programs I did not enjoy:
<em>Putney School Summer Program</em>
Three week summer art and music program in Vermont. Too laid back for me, but it might work for someone else who reads this. The classes are three hours each, one in the morning one in the afternoon, but I always found that I wanted double that time for my painting class (and instead we had random other activities like a block of time for sport-y physical stuff. There are some awesome classes, though, short as they are, and some really talented kids go. Interestingly, I saw a few of the same kids at RISD the following summer. I thought painting was awesome and wished that I had taken painting intensive, although I found songwriting a waste of time for me because I was looking for a more classical approach; I think the art programs are better than the others. The kids in the writing program enjoyed the free time the most. The kids in art classes mostly wanted more studio time. </p>

<p>Programs my friends and family have enjoyed:
<em>The Walden School Summer Program</em>
Intense music and composition summer program (not sure how long, six weeks?). My brother adored this program. It isn't for everyone, though, and those who do not have a strong interest in composing music shouldn't apply. Those who do would love it, although I think it's competitive. </p>

<p><em>CTY</em>
I know a million people will say this, but I have so many friends who have had amazing experiences at different CTY programs. </p>

<p>I'll try to think of others...there's a REALLY amazing-looking art camp in CT that I was dying to attend instead of Putney but it costs mega-bucks. I don't remember what it's called, though...</p>

<p>I'm not sure I agree with you (rskibum) -- unless, that is, a student spends his/her summer successfully finding a cure for cancer/AIDS, or doing some intense math program. Most of the summer programs (including the sad little one I'm going to) students do because their parents can afford it. Actually, I think it's more of a plus if a student has spent his/her summer doing something like delivering pizza as it gives an individual a different perspective on life (than being with a bunch of other privileged over-achievers in a pseudo camp/school/"learning experience).</p>

<p>PS: For kids considering a school year abroad, the Rotary program is awesome and inexpensive (relatively). I'm currently in Argentina so I'd be happy to answer any questions about the program. I don't think they have any summer programs, but since people were asking about programs I thought I'd throw that out there.</p>

<p>My eldest daughter did a summer at Oxford University before her junior year through Oxbridge programs. She enjoyed the experience but in retrospect thinks she would have liked going to Cambridge better.</p>

<p>My younger daughter is spending this summer (before her sophomore year) at the COSMOS program at UC Santa Cruz.</p>