<p>To what extent does attending a college's summer program help in boosting one's likelihood of being admitted to that college? For example, how would going to Columbia's Summer Program help in getting into Columbia come admissions time?</p>
<p>No help whatsoever! The selective colleges are wise to that game. I bet if you look, you will find a place on the summer program’s website that will explicitly state that.
It will just be considered another EC.</p>
<p>Bummer. Well, thanks anyway!</p>
<p>They say it gives you no help at all. However, when I mentioned I took a certain summer program, I get told by other schools that X program was very competitive and that while that in itself will not get me in, it is definitely a good thing because it shows I can handle the rigorous program or had whatever training, etc.</p>
<p>Summer programs at universities are revenue generators, plain and simple. They have assets (dorms and classrooms) that sit idle for a quarter of the calendar and someone realized that they could monetize this asset and perhaps gain a bit of positive PR in the process.</p>
<p>There is a slight chance of gaining an admissions advantage if the program is competitive, or you form a close friendship with a faculty member, or you complete a project that leads to a great essay topic. However, I would argue that this is offset by the “rich kids’ summer camp” perception of adcoms who might prefer to see kids getting a summer job or making an impact in their local community.</p>