Stanford High School Summer College? Worth it or no?

Pre-College Issues Summer Programs
1

I got this letter congratulating me on my “outstanding academic achievements” and inviting me to the Stanford HS Summer College. I originally thought this letter was sent out based on GPA, but from what it looks like from online, it’s actually from college board information (for me, it was probably due to the fact that I took AP Computer Science last year [I am a sophomore this year] and got a 5 on the exam).

I did a little research about the program on online forums, and there seems to be a controversy about the program. There’s those who say it’s a waste of time and a money grabber, and others who say, although it probably doesn’t affect college admissions very much, it was a good experience. I assume the proclaimed money grabber people (although probably accurate) never took up the opportunity or never received the opportunity and are therefore biased.

Because of this divided opinion, I wanted to start up a thread to grab some fresh opinions. Although I’m sure the program is meant as a money grabber for the university, since it counts for college credit, I can assume it probably covers some future course expenses anyways, so isn’t that much of an issue.

The main points I’d like to know:
-Is this opportunity worth the taking?
-How exclusive is this opportunity?
-If you’ve taken this program, what are the pro’s and con’s?
-How much do you believe this program affected your admission to college?
-I was planning on taking an SAT prep program over the summer, would the summer college be a worthy replacement of my time?
-What is the cost of the program (I’ve noticed they’ve conspicuously failed to mention it in the letter)?
-What is the acceptance rate of the program?
-Is the college credit earned applicable to whichever college I attend if it ISN’T Stanford?
-General opinions on the matter?

I’d rather have the opinion of someone who’s attended the summer college, but all replies are welcome. Thank you.

2

no good, in my opinion you should take prep SAT which would have far more benefits on your admissions for several credits, don’t waste your eight weeks and 12 thousand dollars

3

Agreed with tryingforyale. Not necessary. You do it because you want to (and have the $$ for it) not because you think it will help you get into Stanford. My daughter never went to any of those hs summer colleges and it did not hurt her in the least. My son also received that letter this past Dec. I thought about it for the experience. But after seeing the sticker price there was no way he was going.

4

It’s a big money-maker for Stanford and you need to careful that the credits for the courses you want to take are transferable to the colleges on your list.

That being said, you should try to find something meaningful to do besides, or in addition to, prepping for the SAT. Top schools like to see that you are using your summers productively and some even ask what you did the last two summers before applying (Stanford does, I believe). You really can’t just put “prepped for the SAT” down which leaves you with essentially a blank response. Find a job if going to a local university to do research or courses is not an option (I’m not talking about paying $10-12k for Stanford or Harvard’s summer programs).

The acceptance rate is pretty high. Probably around 30-40% if it’s anything like Harvard’s SSP. If you have the money and decent grades, you’re in.