<p>I have received several letters asking me to apply to summer college from Northwestern, Wash U in St. Louis, Brown, Stanford, etc.
My number one choice school is Stanford (I'm a junior btw) and I was wondering </p>
<p>a. How many people actually get these letters (as in, should it even be considered an accomplishment that these colleges want you for their summer college? or do they just want your $?)</p>
<p>b. How many people actually go to these things?</p>
<p>c. Does it help AT ALL if you attend the summer college of your top choice school (a little bit counts... if it came down to you and that kid with the same stats....)</p>
<p>d. Are scholarships impossible to obtain? (cause these programs are maddd expensive)</p>
<p>Good questions...I have the same ones actually. I have recieved a few of these offers in the mail and they look great albeit expensive. I am wondering what kind of weight they hold in admissions and whether they are as prestegious as they are trying to sound.</p>
<p>I went to one at Cornell last summer, so I can answer a couple of things. It's not too big an accomplishment to receive these offers. Few people can afford the programs so they send out a large volume of applications hoping to fill the programs and make money. I talked to a woman at Cornell before I decided to go and she said that they can't give preference to the Summer College kids because so many people can't afford to them. That being said, she did say that they help to show dedication and interest in a particular field, so they will help you in that they show that you took initiative and didn't sit around at home all summer. As for the number of people attending them, I don't know but I would say its a rather small percentage of applicants. And for financial aid, I was able to get over half of the tuition paid, and I come from a middle to lower middle income family.<br>
I would encourage you to attend one if you can though, I had a great time and I think it was a really valuable experience.</p>
<p>I went to a Pre-College program at UPenn two summers ago. Honestly, these programs will not help you get into the college you go to. However, it does show that you are driven to learn, especially if you get top grades in college courses at competitive universities. You are giving up your entire summer, so choose courses you are interested in. You usually take two courses, but I had friends who had to drop one class because two was just too much work. These are undergraduate courses you are taking, and they are condensed to fit the summer session. You should send your transcript to the schools you apply to, and they will evaluate it as part of your whole application.</p>
<p>Apart from that, I really recommend the program if you get the chance to do it! I had a wonderful time, and it has really erased some doubts about college and living on my own that I most certainly would have had without the experience. They are not hard to get into. I don't qualify for any kind of financial aid, so I can't advise you there. Good luck with everything!</p>