<p>And I said that very few people would attend a summer camp just because it's good for college, there's no reason for them to endure something they hate for the purpose of college credits. Of course, I could be wrong and perhaps deep inside, many people don't care what they're doing as long as it benefits them. But let's try to keep a positive outlook on humanity here ;-)</p>
<p>Summer programs do help. i have colleges ready to sign me to their programs already because of summer programs that i attended there. They soo help.</p>
<p>Some summer programs are paid internships...</p>
<p>I'm in a summer research program that provides a $4000 stipend and maybe additional scholarship money.</p>
<p>yougotjohn, who says that you can't enjoy attending a summer program?</p>
<p>If you can prove that you are pursuing your interests through your summer programs, then they can only help you. I.e. someone interested in science should try to do research at a college (there are loads of programs around). Colleges won't be impressed that you got into these programs, for the most part, but it will say something about you that you chose to spend your summer doing science research, learning a language, or taking courses (for real college credit, not the one week programs at Brown or something) in something that your high school could not possibly offer.</p>
<p>The main programs that will not help at all for college are the ones where you pay $4000+ to do community service in some exotic country. If you want to help people, volunteer in your own community.</p>
<p>Summer programs may or may not increase one's admission chances, but they certainly can help the other way around. </p>
<p>My daughter thought she might want to apply ED to Northwestern, so applied to an NU summer program and was accepted. It was an amazing program, well worth attending for the experience, but it also gave her a good feel for the campus and the area, and cemented her decision to apply there ED.</p>
<p>There's a good chance attending the program helped her be admitted. She met with an admissions person while she was there, and it went well. However, the most important result might have been the way it helped her make her own decision.</p>
<p>If you think summer programs are about academics, then I feel sorry for you :(.</p>
<p>Many of the summer programs my daughter has attended have addressed topics that may be available at larger, metropolitan schools but aren't available at our smaller, rural high school. They have really helped to expose her to the larger world, different people, and different topics. The costs have been a stretch, but if the programs and the people she meets continue to have a positive impact on defining her future goals, it will be money well spent.</p>
<p>I think summer programs like Harvard SSP dont help cause so many apply and so many get in and leave with recommendations from professors and still dont get in to Harvard or other ivies.</p>
<p>The SRTP did cost 1000 dollars, but the valuable hands-on and research paper writing experience, combined with various scientists and experts coming in to speak on workshop days makes it worth twice the cost.</p>
<p>The UC system has a summer program called Cosmos. If you look in the UCSC admissions criteria, they give certain point amounts for each point (gpa, sat, etc). One of the things they have is 200 points for COSMOS. This is either 50, 100, or 200 points for each attendance of cosmos, I am not sure. If you do get 200 points for attending cosmos, that has as much weight as 400 points on your sat score (out of 1600). You can play with my math but in any case, COSMOS amounts to a crapload of points that CAN either make or break you. It is about a month long and costs about $1,200, which includes meals, education, and housing. I applied to and got rejected from COSMOS, but ended up somehow getting into UC Davis for engineering(with a 3.1 uc gpa and 2010 SAT). I turned down UC Davis for Illinois so I am not at all disappointed that I didn't go to Cosmos. If you are dead set on going to a UC, however, I wouldn't dismiss Cosmos as a waste of a summer.</p>
<p>My daughter is attending COSMOS now. It is a pricey $2000 this summer. I don't know if it will help her acceptances to college but she is certainly enjoying it and feels that it is very worthwhile.</p>
<p>well, she's on her way.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>For any parents (or youngsters who shouldn't be wasting their time on CC yet) who are unsure about CTY, I can say that pretty much everyone that goes loves it.</p>
<p>And there is a bit of causation between summer programs and college acceptance. I went to the Yale-Harvard-Duke-Georgetown college fair, and one of the representatives answered "What helps you get in?" with "Something unique. For example, if you go to Governor's School." (GS is an intensive, highly selective state-sponsored program that is free of charge (at least in NJ))</p>
<p>But a good summer program wont put you over the hump, just on top of it. Your other stats will be the ones that matter most in pushing you in or back out.
I know, I like the sexual innuendo too.</p>
<p>Summer programs mainly refer to money, which I don't have. It's not fair to use summer programs worth more than a thousand bucks to judge students.</p>
<p>What are you talking about? TASP and RSI are free, and some expensive programs are both highly selective and generous with financial aid. Although you'd be right to say many are expensive and unselective, it isn't unfair to use summer programs to help judge students.</p>
<p>Almost every summer program I've looked at is generous with need-based scholarships. If you really can't afford it, ask about financial aid. Or it's possible you can work and pay your own way, or ask local businesses to sponsor you. One summer program gives students tips and ideas on fundraising.</p>
<p>Yeah there are a lot of free... and some even give you money for attending! I went to an NSF sponsored program and received a $700 stipend for 5 weeks of "work."</p>
<p>Hell, the study camps for USNCO, USABO, and USAPhO are also an amazing experience from what I hear.</p>