Hey guys- our hs jr son is planning to apply to Princeton. He absolutely fell in love during a regional admissions presentation. Also really likes some other competitive schools. I think he will be a legit applicant- #1 in his class, class president; has a 1560 so far, aced the psat so NMF likely, varsity athlete, volunteer stuff etc (And he’s a wonderful person!) … but obviously who the heck knows about admissions.
He reeeeally isn’t sure what to study, though, and we wonder if some of the summer programs might be helpful? Wondered if others have found them worthwhile in terms of exploring interests and/or admissions? We’d appreciate any perspective you might be able to share!
Hi sevenbabies! Congrats on your son’s academic success thus far. I attended two summer programs, one at Stanford (wonderful experience) and one at Harvard (very mediocre experience, and I did not apply to Harvard due to this).
I was accepted at Stanford and the other Ivy-tier schools I applied to, but I do not believe attending these camps makes a difference in the application process. The financial barrier to attend and lack of selectivity makes these camps “pay-to-play,” and not necessarily representative of any sort of merit. I know other kids from the camps I attended who did not get into the school of their choice.
But, this is not to say attending a college summer camp can’t be a wonderful and edifying experience. If there is a camp with an area of academic interest that intrigues your son and you have the means for him to attend, go ahead! Additionally, if you think a camp will provide your son with more information about the school that could let him better make his eventual decision, that could be useful as well.
Essentially, don’t think of the camps as a bump to your son’s resume. Rather evaluate them based on how helpful to developing his academic interests they could be!