<p>Today, I got one of those college letters in the mail. At first I thought it was just the typical stuff, but then I saw the word 'Stanford'. 'Oh snap' pretty much sums up how I felt. Opening the letter, I discovered that that it wasn't a "come here, we're awesome!" type. It was an Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) summer seminar letter. I have never heard of this. This summer program looks pretty interesting, you pick a topic to do intensive studies on, there's field trips, you stay on campus, and take field trips.</p>
<p>But it's really expensive.</p>
<p>I'm only a sophomore, and I feel that i don't know enough about summer programs in general, let alone this particular one. Is this a good program? Is this a rare opportunity that I should do my best to take? Does it look good on transcripts? Is it worth almost 5,000 dollars? Any and all help is much appreciated.</p>
<p>PS, in case you are interested, here's a link to their site EPGY</a> Summer Institutes</p>
<p>These programs do not “look good” or give you a leg up on transcripts.</p>
<p>However, the programs do provide you with the experience of living on a college campus, getting a feel for the area, testing out a course in a field of interest that isn’t available at your traditional school… The experience can also be essay material. </p>
<p>As you noted, the costs are high.</p>
<p>You should also be aware many of these programs are not taught by the faculty of the host institution. </p>
<p>There are a ton of summer programs like this. CTY, TIP, SENG. Also many boarding schools have summer programs (Exeter, North Mount Hermon)</p>
<p>Is it worth the $? Well, that depends on the amount of money your family has and your goals. I’m a Mom. Many of these programs are too expense for my kids, but we may consider it in certain circumstances. I think it is more worth while as a test drive for a far away school my son is dying to go to – cheaper to spend $5k for the summer than $25k for a semester to learn an independent kid can get homesick.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info, longhaul. According to their site, it is resident faculty that teach most of the courses. But it sounds to me that if i’m not interested in Stanford as a college, I probably shouldn’t go, is that right?</p>
<p>Not really. If you have your heart set on U of Florida or somewhere else, you can still take summer classes elsewhere to get the college/academic experience. </p>
<p>Stanford has great weather and I’ve heard that the courses are great. It’s pricey though, and doesn’t give you a leg up in admissions. However, it looks better than having nothing at all for the summer.</p>