<p>I received a letter in the mail last month from Stanford about their summer program. It appears I am "invited" to their High School Summer College. What is it? Do they just want to take my money (i.e. LeadAmerica)? How beneficial is it? Would it help get me into Stanford? Would it help with other schools? </p>
<p>THANKS!</p>
<p>I imagine it is the same thing as other colleges that offer courses to high school students during the summer. My son did this at Carnegie Mellon and my daughter did it at Brown. I guess it helps to show you are interested in academic challenge and can do college-level work. It can also generate another source for recommendations and show interest in the school. Further, it can tell you if you like the school and gives you a taste of college.</p>
<p>I don't know if it gives you an inside track at the particular school involved, however. Most people say it doesn't. My kids got into the places they attended, but they might have otherwise. (I guess the CM program was beneficial in that my son decided against going there for college, when he ended up with a choice!) And I'm willing to bet that everyone who attends the Stanford program doesn't get into Stanford.</p>
<p>It would be a very expensive proposition to go into one of these programs on the offchance that it MAY help your application a little. Do it if you are interested in seeing what the college and the particular school involved is like and want to take a course or two (short courses are for a few weeks and don't give credit; longer courses do give credit).</p>
<p>I did it this past summer. It's just another summer program where you pay a few grand to take some classes there. It doesn't give you an admissions boost (the admissions reps reiterated that several times). What it does show is you didn't sit around doing nothing all summer, and if you do well in your classes it shows you're able to do college level work successfully. (And most colleges accept the course credits). </p>
<p>The program did help me figure out what I wanted out of college (I thought I already knew, but taking a lecture class made me realize that I didn't like lectures, or advanced mathematics). </p>
<p>If you're willing to hand over several grand, I would say do it. Or a similar program at another college. Stanford's is one of the longest that I've seen, so it all depends on how long you want to be away from home. If there are other colleges that you're interested, look into them and see if they have a program too (I did a program at Cornell too). Some are more structured for certain academic areas, while others are just the opportunity to take several classes.</p>
<p>The money thing is kind of pushing me away from it. I'd be handing over my personal life savings. But if I were to apply...</p>
<p>Are SAT scores required? I'm taking the SATs in April so I probably will only have PSAT scores for the application.</p>
<p>What kind of things did you do in your free time? Were you allowed to hold a part time job, was it just like living in college, etc.</p>
<p>Was it worth the money?</p>
<p>As to required testing, I think programs vary. You need to look at their materials to find out. If it isn't in what you got in the mail, look on the web. For some reason, I'm remembering Stanford as requiring the SAT. My son didn't have it yet and so that's why he went to Carnegie Mellon instead, using the PSAT. My daughter attended Brown on the basis of a portfolio, because she had no testing at that point.</p>
<p>They should also tell you what is available free-time wise. My daughter knew one person with a part-time job, but he was a day student and already had the job. It was like living in college, although a bit more sheltered perhaps (stricter in terms of curfews and nontoleration of alcohol). They also usually arranged some outings people could join if they wished, like to the beach, local sightseeing, and the like. The program materials should explain all this in detail, because it is the sort of stuff parents want to know.</p>
<p>Doing it over again, I think my son would pass on the Carnegie Mellon program and my daughter would still go to the Brown one. But my son went to a private school and had lots of AP tests; he didn't need a couple college grades to show on applications. My daughter was homeschooled and the only testing she reported was the ACT. I think the two summers at Brown were critical to her acceptance there because they were a large part of her outside validation of ability colleges want to see from homeschoolers.</p>
<p>Of course, you might have individual reasons for taking the program. Perhaps you are considering engineering but don't really know for sure. It might be risky to apply to a strictly tech place and then discover you don't like it. (Happened to my brother -- after one year he transferred, but you didn't have the same numbers of students back then all trying for limited slots.) You can take a course in it during the summer and find out if you like it.</p>
<p>It also might augment your application if it allows you to show an ability not otherwise clear, e.g., your school lacks certain courses or taking something in the summer allow you to accelerate.</p>
<p>i don't think it will help you get in much...my friend went to harvard's between soph and junior and then stanford's between junior and senior and still got rejected SCEA from stanford...just keep busy during the summer and deepen your commitment to other interests...that's my opinion</p>
<p>I didn't have my SATs when I applied, just the PSATs. </p>
<p>For free time, I hung out with my friends, went into Palo Alto. On the weekend every now and then we'd take the train up to San Francisco. They had a trip to Santa Cruz and some music events. Went to the movies. I went up to SF one night to a concert. They try to organize quite a bit outside of classes so you always have something to do. And anything you can get to via the train is always game too. </p>
<p>The only part that wasn't like college was a midnight (S-Th)/1230(Fri,Sat) curfew, strict no-alcohol policy, and a parental unit had to sign off someway (as simple as a phone call) on overnight trips away from campus. </p>
<p>People have held part-time jobs in the past. I almost got one, but didn't. (I'm kind of lazy.) It's not a common occurance, but it's doable. </p>
<p>I personally would do it again, but part of that is the courses I took worked for me and have made my senior year a bit easier (again, laziness. Can you tell I'm a 2nd semester senior?). But I wouldn't necessarily say it's worth all that money. It is a private university, so of course I expect to shell out several thousand to take a few course credits. But it's also money that can go towards actual college tuition.</p>