So I have the option to either go to a pre-college program of which are at Brown or Yale Young Global Scholars or do a college application counseling service. Recently I found that the Princeton Review has an application preparation program. I was wondering if anybody knew of its credibility or successes. I did a pre-college program last summer at Harvard, and I was wondering if I should repeat and do a pre-college program or get application help. What would colleges see as better? More college experience or a (maybe) better application?
Neither program is a deal breaker or will give your application a significant boost at a top school (unless you are doing the Yale program on a special scholarship). “Pay-to-play” summer programs do not have that allure. Go with whatever you are interested in/need. I think most adcoms would be more impressed by a student who worked a job that paid for their tuition for a community college class that they were concurrently enrolled in. Your call, of course.
Exactly. Get a summer job. Earn money that you can put toward future college expenses. Learn about getting along with co-workers and supervisors. Start developing a set of skills that can lead to a better summer job next year, or even possibly a semi-decent internship in a future career field.