<p>Can you please name any summer programs available to average students and if they will look good in college applications.</p>
<p>You might find something here Cogito</a> - Programs - Summer Programs or here Education</a> World ® - Curriculum: Countdown to Summer: Free Summer Programs for Teens or here Results</a> for Summer | Enrichment Alley</p>
<p>My GC said the Adcom people are sick of weatlthy people buying their kids summer programs and would rather see middle class altrenatives, including work or CC, with a tie in to their dreams (eg emt, even if just washing down the ambulances, counseling, working with disabled).</p>
<p>mikecerang,
From everything I've read over the years here on CC, there really are no summer programs which would "look good" on college applications. Parents on CC who are also alumni interviewers often remark that colleges respect students who have a summer job. Keeping a job for an extended period of time shows responsibility and maturity. Paying for a summer program just shows that your parents can pay for a summer program.</p>
<p>so a job or classes at a cc are better alternatives. thank u.</p>
<p>Going to camp for the sake of a camp is not ideal. However, I was re-reading that WSJ article about those fee-based summer programs that basically guarantee you with an internship and ultimately, what shows up on your college app would be that internship and not the summer camp. AdComs would just see that internship and wouldn't necessarily see that the "summer program". </p>
<p>I have no idea about the pricing on those things but I would think that would be an enviable way to differentiate yourself. Obviously, it also depends on the internship.</p>
<p>This is a debate going on right now between H and I.
I agree with post #3 and 4.
H wants S to go to a summer program. I think he should work.
Working to me is like giving a kid a glance at the "real world". It takes them out of their comfort zone.
D worked the summer, after junior and senior year.
One of the job was at a non profit. She learned how to set up a data base for the Co.. She interviewed clients. She did not have any choice, because the Co. had very few employees.
I was impressed, D is an introvert. Frankly, I always thought she was better suited for research.
I did not know how much she benefited from that job, until I read two articles she wrote for her college business magazine.
An unexpected bonus was D decided to use her money to buy a laptop.</p>
<p>For the below average, average, and above average student: a summer job</p>
<p>
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there really are no summer programs which would "look good" on college applications
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</p>
<p>Notable exception...for music majors...participation in an auditioned summer program (think Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Aspen, Eastern Music Festival, etc). These are serious summer PROGRAMS for serious musicians...by audition only. While the college acceptance for these musicians hinges primarily on their audition, participation in these types of programs definitely makes a difference in their musicianship...and possible ultimate outcomes. BUT that's not what the OP is looking for.</p>
<p>DD, not a music major, went to a music camp for two summers and worked as a lifeguard the second two summers during high school. I seriously doubt that either of these pursuits had any impact on her college admissions, but she enjoyed them both.</p>
<p>Summer activities has been a major source of discussion at our house recently with my two kids having two very different views on the subject. </p>
<p>My D is a HS senior and this summer I am encouraging her to earn as much money as possible for college during the summer. However, she seems to view working as boring and is very attracted to the idea of going to one of those summer camps which are free or they pay you and you mainly do research. She is sending in applications but the competition seems to be pretty fierce for just a few spots and I don't think her chances of getting accepted are very good. On the bright side working on these applications and other scholarship applications has helped keep her occupied while she waits for her college admissions decisions to come back. And she has a part-time job now that she can continue for summer if nothing better comes up. </p>
<p>My younger S is more the average student. He won't turn 16 until late July so he is planning to do driver's ed and go to the sports camp and choir camps offered for free or low cost at his school. He usually goes to Boy Scout camp also and spends time with his grandparents. He is surprised that anyone would want to do math or science over the summer when they could be having fun.</p>
<p>thumper1,
I was really responding to the post as "summer programs for average students." Of course you are absolutely correct about opportunities such as Tanglewood. On the academic side there are things like TASP, but these programs are only available to the "out-of-this-world" student. ;)</p>
<p>I think it may depend on what you want your average s/d to get out of a program. Two years ago my son was very disinterested in college. I think part of the reason was that college seemed "big" and "far away" and he wasn't a real go-getter. He had never been away from home for more than few days except on family vacations. The summer before his junior year, he attended "Explo" at Yale, which really means his parents wrote a really, really big check. He went with a friend but she found totally different people to hang with. He was on his own, for the first time.</p>
<p>Such a change. He came home understanding that yes, he could live away from home, he could navigate around a college -- get to meals on time, to classes, meet people from around the world and feel comfortable. He was gone for three weeks and he came home ready to talk about college. Part of the program included trips to NE colleges. He learned some things about what he liked and didn't like -- size, atmosphere, etc. And he could visit these colleges without me hovering. His grades improved because he was finally motivated.</p>
<p>He did not mention this experience on any of his applications, but at the same time, the program totally impacted his application. Last summer, he worked and saved money. Just as valuable. </p>
<p>That big check had a very big payoff for us.</p>
<p>Very inspirational story. :)
hope your son gets accepted to his college choices and i truly believe your check will have a big payoff and it has already with the motivation it gave to ur son.</p>
<p>I looked at the summer programs at Stanford and it costs about $4000 for 3 weeks. So it's not cheap. I want my kids to do something in the summer because she always has school. This is the first summer she won't have school. But the price tag would definitely kills this middle class family. So we are going to travel instead.</p>
<p>Work in the summer is great. I am all for it, IF TIME ALLOWS :)
My oldest would like to flip burgers - I tell him he can do so much more with his talents. So here he is, thinking - what talents do I have that can pay me real money?</p>
<p>In defence of summer programs - for smart, very driven kids summer programs offer an avenue to get ahead, fulfill some of those pre-req. that are keeping them in easy classes at school for way to long. If you plan well, it can be money well spend.
By the way - MOST summer programs are for average students.</p>
<p>I think you should look into Explo. I don't know anything about it, but I passed by their summer classroom during a college tour of Wellesly, and it looked like fun. The course seemed to be about costume design, or something theatre-related.</p>
<p>Don't discount the benefits of flipping burgers. As a "sub master," my s has a whole new respect for food service workers, department store clerks, the guy behind the counter at the gas station, people who work hard for very little money and respect. He has seen how a poor work ethic affects co-workers, how management makes decisions, and how I'm not the only person who expects clean kitchen counters and a mopped floor. He has had to juggle school and work and music and friends and is more mature for the experience. Flipping burgers also teaches that one does not want to flip burgers for the rest of one's life.</p>
<p>stillnadine, good post! "Flipping burgers also teaches that one does not want to flip burgers for the rest of one's life." My S#1 worked a retail job, standing at a cash register for 8+ hours a day. Besides "my feet are killing me," the one important thing he took away from that job was that he didn't want to end up running a register for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>^^ agree. S is very open about being mostly interested in eating the burger at the end of the shift ;)</p>
<p>How many of your kids work during the school year? With my S's schedule, I can't even imagine!</p>
<p>kelowna, mine used to work starting Friday night till Sunday. I figured if she did not work, she probably spent time goofing off with her friends. If that is the case, she might as well get paid. It turned out she met a lof of friends at work as well and the fringe benefits there were outstanding.</p>