Summer Programs That Look Good on College Applications

<p>How prestigious is Girls’ State and Boys’ State?</p>

<p>I did find another camp, [iD</a> Tech Camps – NORTH AMERICA’S #1 SUMMER COMPUTER CAMPS for Kids, Teens & High School Students](<a href=“http://www.internaldrive.com/]iD”>http://www.internaldrive.com/)
Has anyone heard of this?</p>

<p>Also, looks like all camps application dates are early some times as early as Dec of the previous year. So looks like quite a few are already booked.</p>

<p>I have a graduating senior and 99.9% of camps are stating that they are for … maximum rising seniors. Does anyone have any suggestions for a graduating senior, sciences/math.comp. sci. related?</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

<p>Here’s my take on ID Tech… someone else can chime in if they know something else. They are a business first and foremost. They saw a target market for parents of highly motivated students that wanted that something extra to put on their college resume. They put up shop at various universities around the US offering camps that may be beneficial and the students may learn something, however it is non-competitive and really shows no drive on the part of the student. If the class is in an area of study that the student is really interested in and it will show a continual narrative, then it may be worth your money. However, if you are just looking at it for a summer enrichment opportunity I think your students time would be better spent finding a volunteer opportunity in your community. College adcoms are going to be reading applications with program after program where students were carted off to this program and that. Doing something different is going to benefit them. Getting in the community service hours during the summer when they don’t have the pressure of school is going to give you far more mileage.</p>

<p>Your question was directly related to a graduating Sr. While the question of impressing on a college application isn’t an issue, I still hold my opinion that the organization is a business not an enrichment program. If there is something your son is interested in, chances are there is a class at a local community college he could take either for credit, or for no credit if he wants the experience without the pressure of it ruining his transcript.</p>

<p>NOTE: I am not against enrichment programs at all. I have one son that has done them at a local university, and another son that has been to a university further away. It’s choosing the right program.</p>

<p>blueiguana: Thank you. We have not signed up for anything yet. There is a program that has caught our interest, in the meantime effort is also on to obtain an internship (paid/unpaid) in Comp Sci/Math/EE in colleges around our area. At this point, I am not really sure how it is going to benefit a graduating senior… who wants to go onto graduate work in a few years. Will a summer enrichment opportunity work better than nothing … because at this point, I think we are already late to get admitted to most summer camp/activities. And yes the enrichment program that my kid is interested in is because it is to learn and not for any college app.s because as you rightly say, it is behind us now. But will there be a benefit of learning v/s an internship at a college v/s volunteer work in the community and which option will add sparkle to a resume for graduate school, 4 years from now?
Thank you for your advice.</p>

<p>Which type of science program is considered more selective, IN GENERAL? The one where u primarily take lectures or the one where you conduct a research with a small group under a professor?</p>

<p>I got into two programs: one with a big name but lectures only and the other with not so big a name but research. Cannot decide since I like both…(Sorry if my question does not fit this thread.)</p>

<p>Clark Scholars at Texas Tech University or Garcia MRSEC at SUNY Stony Brook for science research?</p>

<p>I need help deciding</p>

<p>I made both NJ Gov school of the sciences and the Telluride TASP program for talking about politics, democracy, etc in Austin. Which should I go to?</p>

<p>Coolmom123- If you are looking for sparkle for grad school, base this on what your student will be studying. I would not suggest an enrichment program. Internships if in your students area of study are good but will be easier to get after a year or two of college. I would go for the community service.</p>

<p>prjiki- Getting hands on experience is almost always a better bet. I would jump at that research opportunity!</p>

<p>bixiechik- What is your intended area of study? I would think this would drive your decision as the Gov school would be good for math/science, whereas the TASP program would lend itself to humanities.</p>

<p>Well thats the problem. I’m really interested in both areas, and I really wanna go to both.</p>

<p>I’m just wondering if one has a better reputation/prestige college-wise, and also if one is generally just more fun. I know I’ll learn a lot at both, and both are great opportunities, so I’m just looking at peripheral advantages</p>

<p>Check out this program</p>

<p>[Concordia</a> Language Villages - Concordia Language Villages](<a href=“http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/newsite/]Concordia”>http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/newsite/)</p>

<p>My S has been participating since 4th grade, he is currently a freshman at a competative prep school. They have just made a major sophomore year scheduling exception for him so that he can continue his summer plans with this program ( he wants to be a counselor next year). It is a unique program.</p>

<p>"Welcome to Concordia Language Villages
Language without limits: creating a world where everyone understands.</p>

<p>Concordia Language Villages is the premiere language and cultural immersion program in the United States. We are advocates for language learning and we take pride in our role in creating more language advocates.</p>

<p>For nearly 50 years, Concordia Language Villages, in the beautiful North Woods of Minnesota, has been boldly and optimistically pursuing a vision of peace and understanding by introducing learners to the languages and cultures of our world."</p>

<p>@bixiechik
I am not familiar with the NJ Gov’s School, but the VA Gov’s School is very competitive and is great on college apps, at least in VA. The students who have attended have universally had awesome experiences and choose it above other highly regarded programs. I am not really familiar with the TASP program so I don’t want to give advise here. If you have a target school in mind, it would not hurt to call the admissions office and ask their advise. Tell them you want to have a good educational experience and which would they regard as a program you would benefit from the most. Do NOT ask which would serve your resume better. You have just lost any advise you may get. By asking the question above you will find which they hold in higher esteem, if they have a preference. Call more than one school to get a number of opinions.
Just a thought. Good luck!</p>

<p>blueiguana,
do you have any advice as to which research program i should choose between Clark Scholars and Garcia MRSEC?</p>

<p>Hi… Can anyone plesas tell me how are the programs by UPEnn? I have got in LBW and SAASt but cant decide which to attend… anyone here attending either?</p>

<p>hows J camp on the prestige level? i hear they have 42 spots for like 500 people…</p>

<p>bixiechik- i think that you should definitely go to TASP if your interest level in both math/science and humanities is equal. First, NJ gov school is kind of having hard times due to monetary issues; this could affect the experience that you have there. In addition, TASP is around 3 times longer than gov school so you’ll have more time to get experiences out of it. Also, TASP is WAY more selective than gov school, so college application wise, i think TASP looks better. And if you want to look at peripheral advantages it seems like it would be more fun spending two months out of state than like 2 and a half weeks in state.</p>

<p>Any information on the RIBS program at UofChicago would be appreciated.</p>

<p>I posted a discussion about this, but I’ll ask it here, too:</p>

<p>I have been accepted for two research positions for the summer, and I’m having trouble deciding which one I should choose. I know both will offer great opportunities for research. I also want to know which one would have more weight in the college admissions process.
These are the programs:
*High School Honors Science Program (HSHSP) at Michigan State University: research topics depend (7 weeks long)
<a href=“https://www.msu.edu/~hshsp/index.htm[/url]”>https://www.msu.edu/~hshsp/index.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>*George Washington Carver (GWC) Program at Iowa State University: Molecular studies on stress tolerance in plants (6 weeks long; I would receive a $1500 stipend for the research)
[George</a> Washington Carver Internship Program](<a href=“http://www.ag.iastate.edu/diversity/gwc/]George”>http://www.ag.iastate.edu/diversity/gwc/)</p>

<p>Please let me know what you think… I really need some help on this!</p>

<p>RIBS is an excellent bio lab experience for summer. You get to learn basic to advanced skills and complete a project as a small group. It will get you started on further research. The only complaint I have is that it is expensive. My son attended this as 10th grader and enjoyed every bit of it. He continued to work in a local lab( I am sure RIBS helped him to do this) also looking to do research coming summer @ HSHSP (turned down Simons, Iowa SSTP)</p>

<p>Has anyone ever done the University of Chicago RIBS program? I’m signed up for this summer, and I’ve never met anyone else who’s done it- what should I expect? How prestigious is the program?</p>

<p>EDIT: Oh hey, ninja’d. Looks like I’ve found a fellow student. :D</p>

<p>I used to be obsessed with “prestigious” summer programs lol, but I’ll probably just work the next two summers. =P (Although I MAY apply to TASP/J-school at some point.) There’s no way a summer job can look BAD on a college app, right? And if I DON’T get into my dream school, then I’ll still have money to show for it. :D</p>