What are some good activities that will increase the chance of Ivy league admission for the summer? Before I say anything else, let me say that admissions is not the only reason I want to do something over the summer, I primarily want to do something where I will learn something interesting/ broaden my horizon. In my region, I am not eligible to work yet. I am interested in the social science / humanities / social justice, so I will probably attempt to volunteer if nothing else works out. I have looked for summer programs, but most of them are for science/ math, or are insanely expensive.
Representing your country on the Olympic Games is very helpful for admissions.
Awesome . . . Any helpful suggestions?
In all seriousness, there are very few summer activities that will have much impact on our admission chances. I named the only one that came to mind.
If you sincerely want to broaden your horizons this summer, as opposed to padding your resume, and you’re interested in social sciences / humanities / social justice, you might consider volunteering on a political campaign his summer.
Good luck!
Or taking a college course in an actual university (not high school classes housed in a college) and not part of a “special program”, doing something that you have been interested in but did not have the time for during the academic year (from writing poetry to building a x", etc.
@sherpa - Thanks for a serious answer, I have already attempted to try to volunteer at my local representative’s office, but they never replied to my email.
@lostaccount - Do universities let you do that, don’t you need high school prerequisites? If all else fails, I will probably attempt to take on a project like writing a book, or taking on regular volunteering at my local NGO.
If your local representative didn’t reply, too bad for him; it’s his loss. It’s a presidential election year; volunteer for Bernie, Ted, The Donald, Marco, Deez Nuts, Hillary, whoever you like. They’ll welcome a young, energetic, enthusiastic volunteer.
@princeton22, I would strongly recommend NOT thinking about it in terms of summer activities that can “increase the chance of Ivy league admission”. That should not be the goal, and there are few activities that will demonstrably do that to a considerable degree. @sherpa’s initial response is only partly in jest.
However, investing your summer in something that broadens your horizons is great, and will certainly make a favorable impression on colleges. Don’t expect it to be your ticket in, but as part of an overall application, doing something that shows independence, commitment, or other such positive traits will generally be a plus. Given your interests, here’s a few things you might want to consider:
- TASP. The RSI of the humanities. Very competitive, fully funded program. You should treat this as a long shot, but just applying will pay dividends in terms of preparing you for the application process.
http://www.tellurideassociation.org/programs/high_school_students/tasp/tasp_general_info.html
- Clark Summer Scholars Program. Also fully funded (actually pays a $750 stipend) at Texas Tech doing hands-on research. Research is NOT restricted to the sciences, and can include areas such as economics and political science. Also very competitive.
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/honors/academicsandenrichment/affiliatedandhighschool/clarks/
- Camp Rising Sun. A summer leadership and experiential learning "camp" fully funded by the Louis August Jonas Foundation. Students from all over the world learn decision-making, organizational, and problem-solving skills while strengthening their notions of teamwork and group identity. Workshops and projects can include areas such as world affairs, politics, philosophy and ethics.
These are all fully funded and competitive. None will guarantee you admission to an Ivy, but any would have a positive affect, especially if you can tie them in to a broader interest. I would consider plenty of other options as admission to any of these may be difficult, but they are good “reaches” to consider.
Good luck!
Another option - which is extremely expensive, but which does have some limited financial aid - is the Summer Ethics and Leadership Institute in Washington, DC:
@renaissancedad - Thanks for the reply, quite helpful! TASP looked interesting, but it seems to be targeted specifically at African Americans/ URM . I am not really a URM, would it still be beneficial to apply? It is interesting that at the beginning of your reply you say there is nothing that can increase the chance, and then at the end you say they can have a positive effect (increase the chance) . . .
^ TASS, the program aimed at rising juniors, specifically focuses on minority issues. TASP, the better-known program aimed at rising seniors, does not. Some recent seminars included topics like Intergenerational Justice, Democracy and Diversity, and Visions of America from Abroad.
Another shorter fully-funded program worth considereding is the Notre Dame Leadership seminars. In particular, they have one on global issues:
http://precollege.nd.edu/leadership-seminars/global-issues—toward-a-just-peace/
None of these will hurt your chances for a top college. All will look good, particularly if you do them because they fit within a broader interest. None of them will likely have enough of an effect to overcome shortcomings in other areas (GPA, test scores, poor letters or essays, etc.), and none will make you stand out so much as to have the effect of a “hook”. Don’t do any of them in order to impress colleges. But any would be a worthwhile use of your summer time if they fit within an interest.
@renaissancedad - Ah that makes TASS make more sense. Since I am currently a sophomore, I probably have next to a 0% chance of getting accepted to the one for Juniors, but I will definitely apply next year. Since I am a sophomore, most of those cool programs you listed , I am not eligible for, except the camp, which is a bit too long for me. The Notre Dame one looks amazing, but again, for juniors. What I am worried about is not to increase my chance, rather, to not decrease my chance by doing something, if that makes sense. I do not want the universities to reject me since I did not do X , Y , or Z in the summer. I am actually really interested in taking a course at my local university if they let me, do you think that will also serve this purpose?
I didn’t realize you were a sophomore. You have lots of time. Keep the others in mind for 2017.
Besides Camp Rising Sun (which I believe is 4 weeks), you should look at Yale Young Global Scholars. It’s pricey (about $5k for 2 weeks) but there is some aid available. It’s competitive, and generally anything competitive is considered serious by colleges, and therefore is a plus.
Princeton22 - look under summer programs to see all of the opportunities for how to spend a summer. I echo Renaissancedad in that you should do something that YOU want to do, and not worry about impressing admissions. That said, my daughter did do the Notre Dame Leadership seminar in Science, Ethics & Responsibility, and she loved it.
@renaissancedad SEGL is a great option with an impressive college admissions track record. In fact, it has much more than “limited” financial aid, however. 40-50% of students receive significant financial assistance (the average at private schools is much, much lower).
@princeton22 I would echo the sentiment that you do something you are interested in, not what might look good to adcoms, they will see right through participation in things that aren’t core to your personality / character.
Please reconsider attending any summer event that requires money. This is usually counter-productive because adcoms think you paid to play, and this can count against you, rather than help your app.
IMO best summer options are:
Free, or little cost
Competitive to attend
Core to your established interests
A summer program that has all three will be impressive.
Good luck,
Psy
The better summer options usually revolve around something that really excites you (you seem to have identified some general areas). The best summer options are those exact same things but are also somehow selective and competitive. I disagree with @psywar a tiny bit. Many well-regarded selective programs won’t charge you to attend, but some indeed do. The danger with those who do charge, however, is that a program that requires payment may just be a money grab and not really increase admissions chances. I completely agree with her, however, that if you can find a free or low-cost program that is selective and in an area you are passionate about, those are usually the most well-regarded (and will serve you better than anything else).
I suggest starting by running a search for selective or competitive programs in an area in which you are interested. Discover and develop your unique passions and interests in the summer and slowly become the person you want to be (or more likely, explore what really might end up exciting you). Colleges that may have a need for someone with that passion in a given year (e.g. particular athlete, musical instrument, particular creative skill, particular field) just might like your your interest and value what you can honestly and uniquely bring to its campus. There’s just no predicting what those “valued” interests might be in any year, at any institution. That’s why it’s important to be yourself (to grow as a real person, and not just do things to look good on paper) throughout the whole process.
Good luck and good on you for planning early.
(Just as an aside, my son is attending Princeton and attended two competitive creating writing programs during his summers. There are things out there for humanities people; it just might take more digging to find them.)