<p>I’m planning to apply next year to Pennsylvania ED, and I was wondering whether enrolling in Penn’s High School Summer Program can increase an applicant’s chances or whether it has zero impact on chances.</p>
<p>Well, any summer program that shows personal enrichment will make a fine addition to your app. However, honestly speaking, the college programs are dependent on the applicant's ability to pay, and ultimately, it does not really affect your chances that much if you gone to Penn or Harvard or any other colleges' summer programs...</p>
<p>dude it definetely helps. EVERYONE I KNOW THAT DID PRECOLLEGE AND APPLIED EARLY GOT IN ((including myself, i did it for two years)) granted, this could be because the kids that actually do it are more qualified/interested in penn than the average applicant pool, but spending a summer at penn... is amazing, and more importantly, it can help you decide if it's really the place for you. oh and it makes the "why penn" essay cake & gives you graduation credits which is sweet</p>
<p>Thanks for the helpful posts to both of you. And, if I remember correctly, Catch-22 was accepted by UPenn as well. Congratulations to the both of you, if that is the case.</p>
<p>Shortymxpx17, Pennsylvania is my first choice and I will be applying ED. I've been debating whether or not to attend the Summer Program, but with your suggestion and simply with my own interest in UPenn, I'll probably be attending the Summer Program. Do you know how selective they are? (Would a 3.8 GPA be good?)</p>
<p>i think it helps because it shows a genuine interest in the school. when you write your "Why apply to Penn" essay, you can bring up how you had fallen in love with the school and you jumped at the oppurtunity to experience the penn hs summer program. but don't do the program with that kind of attitude (just doing it for your app). definitely make the most out of it. take a class, get credit maybe (?) and try to skip it in your school. its worth it.</p>
<p>I think Penn would def. like it. It will def. improve your chances, not by a lot, but a decent change. My reasoning is this: You are taking your time and visiting penn, taking classes there, and paying them. Obviously, its going to look good, compared to other people who might have paid competing colleges like harvard or yale, rather than penn for the summer program. Plus, they have trust in you that you will attend penn if they accept you, because you are already interested in penn, and you talk about it in your essay. This will increase their yield, and their ratings.</p>
<p>Pennhomie34: I do have a genuine interest in UPenn, or else I wouldn't want my parents to spend $7,000 of their money, and I certainly would rather spend my summer doing something else. First and foremost, I'm planning to do the Summer Program because I admire the school for its academics and its environment. But I'm not doing the Program "just" to increase my chances.</p>
<p>Thanks to the last two posters (Pennhomie34 and tennispro2388) for the input.</p>
<p>I'd say,
only do it if you have no other way to use the $7,000. </p>
<p>Instead, take courses that enhance your academic interests at your local CC. All they'll want to see is that you have pursued your passions outside of school. Going to Penn's summer program actually gives a mixed message.
1. I want to get into Penn so bad
2. I want to learn more than highschool offers
3. I got tons of money, e.g. I'll do nothing to increase Penn's economic diversity.
4. I was fed with a silver spoon</p>
<p>note that #2 could be achieved in many ways that do not involve $7,000</p>
<p>Can this be done the summer after senior year? What grades is it for exactly?</p>
<p>I doubt I can really afford it anyway. I have some options here...</p>
<p>1.) I can do DCC (Delaware Community College) which offers classes over the summer and my high school is connected to it so I'd sign up through school.
2.) I can do UPenn over the summer if I agree to pay half the cost through my job. It's $1000 more than I thought if it is indeed $7000.
3.) I can take classes at Villanova, I think. Maybe Bryn Mawr. I was also thinking Temple, though I tend to doubt my dad would let me go there alone, LOL. Saint Joe's is also an option - not too far from where I live (Ardmore, a.k.a. Hardmore).</p>
<p>BM and V are closest to me.</p>
<p>Also, would colleges regard community work as being not as difficult as university classes? Does it matter at all?</p>
<p>I'm dying to go to UPenn and my freshman grades suck (I do have a reasonable explanation). Still, I'm determined. My g-counselor thinks I have a good chance. SATs frighten me - 1420 on the PSAT, which doesn't seem good enough. I'm going to get into Penn even if it means transferring from another school. Which leads me to another question: How hard is it to make it in as a transfer? My friend, daughter of a Penn professor, has a sis who transferred to Penn after one year at Dickinson. So I'm wondering if her dad being a professor had anything to do with it. I don't know what her Dickinson grades were or anything.</p>
<p>If you could suggest something for the summer and answer any of my questions I'd be super super happy. Thanks! :D</p>
<p>Interesting points, FountainSiren; thanks for the post.</p>
<p>Points 2 and 3 wouldn't apply to me since my family isn't rich; we're in the middle class, but every single previous generation before ours lived in extreme poverty. </p>
<p>The intent of my first post on this thread was to see if the Summer Program would have any impact on decisions, good or bad, since I've heard other universities don't take their own Summer Programs into consideration. I do want to go to Penn, but I'm relying soley on my academic strengths and extra curriculars to get me into Penn, and not "just" a Summer Program.</p>
<p>You mean points 3 and 4?</p>
<p>I was told repeatedly that sumer programs have no impact in and of themselves. The only thing that matters is that you ar pursuing your academic passions outside of high school. I'm also middle class, and was considering a summer program. I was told in no uncertain terms that I would actully be better off taking CC courses and continuing my volunteer work throughout the summer.
I was accepted early at Dartmouth this year. It seemed to work.
I was told to consider that most universities are pretty much empty through the summer semester and that it is bad business to leave things that way. Therefore, the schools are not even (very) selective as to who can attend the summer programs because they want their dorms filled to the degree thet they can be. In other words it doesn't really give the bump you might think it would in addmissions. </p>
<p>I think the universities should be more open about the consequenses of their summer programs.</p>
<p>The best of luck to You!</p>
<p>Nice job w/ getting into D-mouth!!! I'm seriously forgetting about Penn over the summer - they just want money; that's kinda clear to me now. I'll do DCC or a university if it fits my budget. I'm thinking 3 classes - is that too much?</p>
<p>whoahh silverspoon? my family definitely isn't rich and i didn't spend 7 grand at all... i spent about 2 each year cause i was a commuter... penn does throw a lot of extra fees in it tho, so i agree there's a lot of expenditures... but none of you guys did precollege so u dont know what ur talking about!! first of all... you will make a ton of friends, many of whom you will see as a freshman/sophomore at penn. (hence my frequent trips to philly...) secondly, penn's program IS semi-selective ... only 205 kids do it each year, and you get a general letter of recommendation from the program. although most people are bashing this as a waste of money, i disagree, because i got an A+ in every class i took, which were EASY credits that will help my GPA since the classes are so lax, and i got a sweet letter of recommendation from my psych prof. getting recs from your professors (provided u talked a lot and schooled ur midterm/final) is key. if there's some thing else you wanna do that is more unique or appealing to you than being at penn...go for it. but if youre considering it and ure family can afford it... it is well worth it.</p>
<p>It might not be a waste of money; I just can't afford it. I'd been considering it because I'm in love with Penn's campus and it would be nice to spend a summer there. At the same time, I want to get some credits. I'm going back and forth with this...I honestly don't know what to do. </p>
<p>shortymxpx, where do you live? I'm in the Philly 'burbs too.</p>
<p>malvern!! u said you live in ardmore? dude go to penn over the summer- if you commute and take the R5 its So much cheaper! are you a senior who applied to penn RD? in regards to doing it the summer after senior year, the easiest way to go about that is obviously if youre taking classes as a rising freshman, then u dont even have to worry about transfering credits. if youre not in penn tho, then you might not be applicable for the "high school program" but im sure people have done it. cause i mean, why would penn stop you from giving them more money.</p>
<p>Let me say, that if money is of no, or little concern, it won't hurt you (with a few provisos, bump). I agree that it would likely be fun. By the same token if A+'s are that easy to get, I'm sure the adcoms know it.
I'm just saying there are cheaper ways to achieve the same goal.
Money is always an issue.
First, the money you pay to go and then the money you're indicating you have.
If you can afford a summer program you can probably afford tutors for your SAT's. That can make your SAT score look more like the result of having the money to buy a higher one (though it by no means necessarily means you did, it can just give that impression--see "A is for Admission"). It's a matter of perception.
I've had freinds who did the summer thing, and friends who didn't, get in their dream school and not get in. I don't think it makes a huge difference one way or another.</p>
<p>I'm a junior, actually. Are the classes truly that easy? Fountain Siren makes a good point - adcoms would know. How many classes can I take? I really want 3 - no less.</p>
<p>If it only costs a couple thousand, that's definitely affordable. I have to pay half no matter what though.</p>
<p>I'm questioning how good Delco is... I don't want easy classes, plus my friend hated it there (transferred to St. Joe's). If Delco is easy, Penn adcoms probably know that too. I think Bryn Mawr is basically out - too pricey. Haverford, two blocks from me, DOESN'T offer summer classes and I was so sure they would. Bummer. </p>
<p>I think since I'm around quite a few colleges, I'll most likely find something. I just sorta need to make up my mind soon...</p>
<p>shortymxpx, what school do you go to? I've probably heard of it, LOL. Also, when you went to Penn's summer program, the classes were factored into your hs GPA, right? I wish Haverford (my hs) would do that for me but I'm not sure if they will. :( I'll have to talk to the g-counselor.</p>
<p>ahh i think that was misleading. the classes are generally graded on standard curves, so this summer i was effectively "competing" against undergraduate and grad students for my A+ (if you take higher level, non-intro classes they tend to be smaller and intense). i just did incredibly well cause i studied hardcore and read the ridiculous amount of readings that were assigned... you cant take more than 2 classes and since you prolly wont be used to college classes that's a reasonable limit anyway. i dont think its as important if delco appears "too easy" to adcom as much as what it is you actually take there... but i think you're still better off at penn. if youre not gonna live there and ure taking 2 classes, expect to pay about 4 grand. or you could take just one, and focus on a job/volunteering during ur summer instead.
i go to great valley high school... nahhh when i was refering to helping my GPA... i meant my GPA when i matriculate into penn, lol. college classes are completely independent of high school. good luck figuring out what u wanna do! ! i recommend checking out penns course selection to see if there's something that will actually interest you first.</p>
<p>Ahhh, G-Valley. I've heard of it...</p>
<p>I didn't realize you were actually accepted - it says you're a junior member??!! Anyway, nice job, very nice. Could you maybe...er...give me your stats? I'd greatly appreciate that if it's possible! :D</p>
<p>I shall check out the course selection just like you said to see what piques my interest. Hopefully some psych course is offered.</p>