Hey there,
I’m a rising junior looking for either this summer or next summer to attend a summer program for people who are passionate in the Social Studies & Literature department. So far, I’ve come across many posts regarding camps for math and science but not many prestigious ones (that atleast I’m aware of) on this forum for people who have a niche for history or English. So again I ask, what summer programs are available out there for someone such as myself looking to hopefully get into a good program that a college would look positively upon? Would highly appreciate any references and details. Thanks!
Look into TASP and Yale Global Scholars.
Thanks uesmomof2.
Hope to hear more in regards to other groups soon! 
Funded programs are generally very competitive, and quite prestigious.
- TASP is pretty much at the top of the list here. TASS for rising juniors is also funded and prestigious, but has a strong focus on African American studies, so if you're not interested in that subject then it doesn't make a ton of sense. You're way past the deadline on that one.
- Notre Dame Leadership Seminars is a 2 week funded program for rising seniors. They have 3 themes, one of which deals with the arts and another with globalism (the 3rd deals with science policy).
http://precollege.nd.edu/leadership-seminars/
Non-funded programs have much less impact. Some that are reasonably competitive include:
- Yale Young Global Scholars. Supposedly less than 25% acceptance rate per the web site. $5250 for a 3 week session. Sessions of International Security and on Politics, Law and Economics (plus one on science policy).
http://globalscholars.yale.edu
- Stanford Summer Humanities Institute. Supposedly about 20-25% acceptance rate. $5700 for a 3 week session, with need-based financial aid available.
https://web.stanford.edu/group/summer_hum_inst/cgi-bin/wordpress/about/
http://www.stanforddaily.com/2015/01/14/stanfords-summer-humanities-institute-brings-talented-humanities-students-to-campus/
I just finished an 8 day program (Institute) at Georgetown on International Relations. I don’t think it’s very selective, but I learned a lot, had fun, and fell in love with the school. My only complaint is that I wish it was longer, but I know Georgetown does offer some longer programs, and some students even did back-to-back Institutes in different subjects. I know there are several in Law/Politics/Business/Creative Writing/Journalism/Leadership/etc.
Probably not prestigious, but if you don’t get into the harder ones, I would highly recommend it as an alternative!
Also, a friend of mine got rejected from TASP, but accepted to Yale, Brown, Penn, and Duke. That program is crazy.
The less competitive non-funded programs can be great experiences, but they will carry little weight on college applications beyond showing continued interest in learning. There are other non-funded competitive programs in other areas than STEM, but they tend to be focused on things such as business and entrepreneurship. The top writing programs can have some impact, if part of a sustained and committed interest.
Thanks for your responses everybody!
@renaissancedad,
For someone like myself who is more interested in the English & Social studies category, I’ve really been finding it hard to find an extracurricular or a path I can follow to make an impact on my portfolio. In your opinion, do you think it would be a waste of time to invest money into programs like Notre Dame, and global scholars for the sake of doing things over the summer? Or do you think it would be better to volunteer, work, and try to become an intern? I want to make a significant impact with my time this summer but just honestly don’t have so much money to blow around since I come from a rather low-income family. Lots of people feel that these college enrichment programs are merely gimmicks while some others have told me it might better to enroll myself in a program to show admissions that I’m doing something over the summer and just wasting my time.
Much appreciated.
@Delcore, I’m certainly no expert, so please take the following with a very large grain of salt.
I don’t know what your profile looks like in terms of how competitive you are likely to be at top schools, or where you are considering. Are your GPA, curriculum, test scores and extracurriculars competitive? How well do you write? If you think you will be competitive, by all means go for the free programs (Notre Dame Leadership Seminars is free, BTW, as is TASP). You have nothing to lose. I’d also consider applying to the Yale and Stanford Programs if those are places that you think you might be competitive and seriously considering. One of the links I included above mentioned that a pretty large percentage of kids who attended the Stanford Summer Humanities Institute to date have gone on to Stanford, which is looking to broaden its student base away from Comp Sci and engineering (I majored in Comparative Literature at Stanford and did a masters in Linguistics at the same time; they have excellent programs in many areas of the humanities and social sciences).
If you are not likely to be competitive for the top schools, then I’m not sure paying a huge amount of money will give enough of an edge to warrant the investment. And, if you “just don’t have the money to blow around” then I wouldn’t blow your budget, though both programs do have financial assistance, and it doesn’t cost a lot to apply and see how things work out. You might end up pleasantly surprised.
Someone on another thread mentioned this site:
http://mysummeradvisor.com/MSA/app/programs/search/
Go under academic programs and search for what’s out there. Cost estimates and links to web pages are included. There may be any number of programs which are worth considering. But I agree that there is no need to go after an enrichment program just for the sake of it, and volunter/work/internship alternatives have plenty of value. Keep your options open.
Look into Boston University’s High School Honors Program. You can choose classes from essentially any undergraduate studies there.
You can do Aiesec, though that’s more of a college-student oriented organization. I’m administrating one of their camps in China this summer. Hit me up if you’re interested.
Governors’ Honors programs for your state.
OP, just saw your previous thread about summer programs … are you interested in CS, or literature/humanities?
I wouldn’t worry about prestige. A great summer experience offers a chance to work with faculty, develop an interest that could make a good essay topic, help you choose a major, really get to know a campus and more.
Start with mysummeradvisor.com and look for programs in your area. Many larger schools have summer programs that let high school students choose from lots of classes and some let them take regular undergraduate classes for credit. Also, don’t assume research opportunities are only in the sciences. Professors in history, sociology and other fields do research too. You may get involved in depth in a topic that may really change your direction.
The “academic” tab has an article about Governor’s Schools.
You can also research the site by subject. There are lots of creative writing programs! There are programs in philosophy, political science, etc. Think outside the box too. You might enjoy prelaw, medical ethics, etc.