<p>I did EPGY at Stanford, the 20th century humanities class. Best experience ever. It was amazing, the class, the kids, the teachers (well, one of them at least), the campus...just being there for 3 weeks.</p>
<p>I got so close with some of the other kids that I'm going back to San Francisco to visit a bunch of them in January.</p>
<p>I highly, highly, highly recommend it. I don't think it's terribly difficult to get in, although I do know kids that were rejected; I think it basically comes down to the teacher recommendation. But regardless of the selectivity, it's certainly hardcore academics (for the first 1.5 weeks, expect a 4 hour class and 4 hours of homework, from then to the end you write a mini-desertation so expect a 4 hour class and about 8 hours of homework, on the last 3 days we basically worked from 6:00 AM to midnight nonstop. It was hella fun though. And from what I've heard from college admissions folks at a few universities I've talked to, as well as my guidance counselor, it is looked upon very favorably by admissions staff.</p>
<p>It's a tad expensive (around $2200 I think?) and then you have to pay for travel to San Francisco, but it's fairly easy to fundraise because the title Stanford really makes people willing to donate (imagine aunt sally realizing her niece or nephew is going to the Educational Program for Gifted Youth at Stanford University - she will more than likely give $100).</p>
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[quote]
i have searched for all the "people to people summer programs" but i can't find any. Can anyone refer me to one of them or tell me about their program in spain?
<ol>
<li>MITE2S- probably a long reach, but it sounds really cool. It's also FREE. </li>
<li>Local research internships (like NIH, etc)</li>
</ol>
<p>$3000 for a summer program to me is ridiculous when there are lots of internships in the DC area. I'm also not big on traveling for it since next summer I'll be busy. But, MITE2S is the exception.</p>
<p>I just joined collegeconfidential, and may have missed previous discussions. I'm considering signing my daughter up for the Explo Summer program at Yale. She's currently in 10th grade. Does anyone have any experience with this program or a similar one? I'm looking for something on the east coast. (we're near Boston.) I've heard missed reviews regarding Explo - especially that they're not structured enough. Your thoughts??</p>
<p>anyone who is paying more than $3000 for a summer abroad is getting EXTREMELY RIPPED OFF, like SO BADLY. anyone paying for something more than $2000 in north america is also getting ripped off. it's so annoying to see all these rich kids pay like, $4000 for a f***ing summer. it's so obnoxious and it's just flaunting your wealth around carelessly to whatever you're doing. it's irresponsible to spend that much summer so that you can have a fun summer camp. </p>
<p>Time-wise, it's structured, but if you don't want to follow what they have planned for you, you don't have to. I didn't, and it wasn't like I was allowed to roam around New Haven doing what I pleased. They keep you on a pretty short leash geography-wise, but it isn't that hard to sneak away. I liked the experience and loved the people I met there (I'm going to visit my best friend from Explo in two weeks!) but in retrospect, I'm not sure it was worth the thousands of dollars. I knew some people who took a really interesting neuroscience class and a philosophy class and seemed to get a lot out of it, but then I knew people who took simple art classes or juggling classes. If your daughter is REALLY interested in the academics aspect, then I think it would be a good balance of academics and social life. I was your daughter's age when I went, and I think the best thing it gave me was a sense that when I left for college, I'd be at least semi-capable of handling myself. If you want to PM me, I'd be happy to answer any more questions about it.</p>