<p>For all of those who went to Harvard last summer or is thinking about going to Harvard this summer for their high school program…I’m thinking about applying, and I want to know if the requirement is 8 credits. I want to take Calc III which is four credits. I know that will have homework and stuff, and I don’t want to go there and have a hard time doing good in my classes and have so much homework that I can’t have fun. Do any of you have any suggestions for another four credit class, or how hard do you think Calc III will be. I’m taking AP Calc 1 and 2 this year (I’m a junior)…thanks!</p>
<p>Yes, it's 8 credits. It's also about $8,000.</p>
<p>Yep, unless you're commuting, high schoolers have to do 8 credits...whether in one or two classes.</p>
<p>I will be there this summer myself, but I'm a 25-year-old non-trad returning student taking 2 courses to get into their extension degree program, which actually is a Harvard University degree. I'll be taking a class via distance ed in the spring.</p>
<p>From what I've gathered, they even tell extension school students to start with one course...so I wish they wouldn't push high schoolers to take 8 credits. Maybe they're afraid they'll get in trouble otherwise?</p>
<p>Everyone I've talked to says Harvard Summer and Extension is still Harvard...so be prepared to study. But I think it's worth it :) Good luck!</p>
<p>Steph</p>
<p>Are you really interested in paying 8,000 dollars to take a calc III class that you could probably take at a local college for 150 or less (depending on whether your school will pay for it) for the same college credit?</p>
<p>There's no real prestige from getting into the summer school either. Harvard adcoms know that it's easy to get in; the summer school is just as much a recuiting tool and way to get money as it is an educational experience.</p>
<p>I know some people who went, and they seemed to enjoy it a lot. It's always very fun to be around a bunch of people your own age.</p>
<p>As for me, I decided to pocket the ~$8,000 dollars and take math at my local university during the summer--two classes (same as Harvard). What did it cost me? About $200 bucks including books, maybe a little more if you factor in gas.</p>
<p>I agree with uber. It is a poor value. A lot of the kids who are there think it is going to help them get a leg up at harvard, but it has little or no positive impact for most applicants and can be decidedly negative. The courses are truly at the college level and many kids who have never seen a B in their lives wind up getting even lower grades than that. Because the workload is pretty high there is less time to enjoy Cambridge & Boston than you might think.</p>
<p>I kind of agree with the others. A high schooler will have a much better time of it taking a class at the community or better yet for admissions, an area four-year college. Or check into one of MANY distance learning classes open to everyone, from schools like UNC Chapel Hill, UC Berkeley, UCLA, etc. </p>
<p>The only reason I'm doing it is I have to take a certain expository writing class at Harvard to get into their extension degree program, and it can't be done anywhere but Harvard in person. </p>
<p>Unless you have the money (in this case, your parents) and are practically a genius, I'd advise you not to do it. Taking 2 Harvard classes for that much money while still in school might be more of a disadvantage than not. </p>
<p>If you really want to go to a summer program, lots of reputable schools have them for far less money.</p>
<p>Thank you for all of the advice. I agree with all of you in that eight credits is a lot for a high school student. I really just wanted to take one class to get exposure and to be able to focus my attention on one class. But, why would they make the minimum requirement eight credits if it is almost impossible to handle? I would have to think that it is possible to endure all the classes (probably not having time to do anything else, though). I was also looking at some other colleges to possible attend. Northwestern looked like a good choice since they allow you to take only one class (plus, I live in Minnesota, so it would be fairly close to home)....thanks again!</p>
<p>Well, I suspect they want to make sure the underage kids stay out of trouble for the main part. Money is probably a small factor, though a university such as Harvard is definitely not hard up for it.</p>
<p>The summer school handbooks go into great detail about the rules with socializing between high schoolers and college students. I suspect they fear without 2 classes to keep them busy, some high schoolers may party hearty in Cambridge and beyond, which would make parents really ticked with the school.</p>
<p>I went to Cornell's sophomore summer program two summers ago and loved it. But my class, while college level, had only high school kids in it. The juniors + seniors (who took classes with college kids) seemed to enjoy themselves too. <a href="http://summercollege.cornell.edu%5B/url%5D">http://summercollege.cornell.edu</a></p>
<p>i attended the harvard summer school last summer and i must disagree with some of what has been said on this post. yes, it is true that it is expensive. and yes it is true that you can take the same classes somewhere else and save your money. but i feel that what i got out of it was well worth it all. i got to know my professors, one of whom wrote me a recomendation letter for college applications. as an applicant to ivy league schools i feel that this aspect of the summer school was benificial. also, i have gotten several interviews for internships in the harvard labs. the money spent to give me this "leg in" has been well worth it. (people say that the summer school is not helpful for the admissions process because it doesnt weigh much with the ad. com., but its what you do with the summer school that CAN weigh much..the connections you make, etc.) another thing to consider is that if you are planning on applying to ivy schools, what better way to prove to them that you can be a successful student at their school, than to show that you can do harvard level work? when the ad. com. considers your application they consider if you can succeed in their demanding academic environment. this is just one more way to prove yourself capable. but the greatest part of the harvard summer school is the students and the experiences you have with them. it is truly an international and intellectual crowd. (not something you would get at your local community college). if money is the issue, check out the financial aid options. i know several people who took advantage of this (though some had to fight a little) and they say that it was well worth the effort.</p>
<p>lax...what classes did you take last summer?</p>
<p>I know a kid who did the Harvard Summer School thing. He really enjoyed it and absolutely fell in love with H. He hoped the good grades he earned and connections with the profs would help him get into Harvard. Didn't happen. He got rejected along with the other 90% of applicants.</p>
<p>He's doing very well though. He's currently a sophomore at Williams and enjoying it.</p>
<p>i took philosophy and psychology</p>
<p>lax: how much homework did you get...I was thinking about psychology and Calc 3...just to get a rough estimate. Also, had you taken psychology in high school or had any past knowledge, because I haven't taken any of it yet.</p>
<p>Lax just curious...what dorm did you live in last summer?</p>
<p>If you are looking for a second summer school class that is very enjoyable and gets you "out and about" Boston and Cambridge, try the Architecture of Boston course. I audited it several years ago and loved it, particularly if you like looking at buildings. You go out on several field trips in Boston neighborhoods in addition to the lecture classes, which, like most art history classes, are slide comparisons. I am not crazy about the cost/value of the summer program either, but the son of my California based college friend loved it and it helped him determine if he wanted to go to an east coast college.</p>
<p>to answer your questions...
the homework in psych was reasonable. it consisted of daily readings (which you don't HAVE to do, because no one would really know if you ever really did) and then there were maybe 2 papers/projects over the course of the summer. most of the work was studying for the midterm and the final. it would be a good class to take with calc because it was pretty "easy going" compared to most of the classes there. to answer your second question, i had never taken psychology before. however, i am hoping to study cognitive science in college so i have done lots of reading on the brain and so i found a lot of the stuff in the course to be old news to me. but, i wouldnt worry that you have no experience with it because most students didnt. it is called "introduction to psychology" and it is just that, an introduction.</p>
<p>....and, i was a commuter student, so i didn't live on campus</p>