Summer Programs

Parents Forum
1

<p>D has been asked by her Aunt to attend a summer program at Barnard College on "Women in Leadership" . D's GC has just asked her to go to Girl's State (or the Texas equivalent). Summer is short. And it's my last high school summer with her. I want to help her choose wisely. Summer will be filled with Basketball, as God wills it to be, but at least a few weeks can be spared for less worthy pursuits.</p>

<p>Herein lies my conundrum. She has no interest in attending college in Texas or NYC. She hardly needs other participatory EC's. What she needs is exposure to the various types of college environs she hopes to be selecting between next fall and spring. What I would like is for her to consider one school that fits her criteria -Dartmouth, Williams, Davidson and one that doesn't quite for reasons big and small Wellesley, Mudd, Chicago. Not that she's choosing between the two schools. But just a better feel about what it means to be at that size, kind, shape of campus in that size,kind, shape of place. Maybe it will broaden her horizons to being wiling to consider slightly larger schools in more urban areas (a very limiting factor in our search presently). </p>

<p>While money is not exceptionally easy to come by right now, I would like to "give" her a Christmas present of one of these programs. Barnard's program for a week was $1200. Dartmouth for 2 weeks (I think) was $2300.</p>

<p>Please oh great experienced collective , how would you suggest selecting between opportunities? For example , Dartmouth ,or as we now know it CDD -Cangel's Daughter's College, has a few programs , some academic -some more general. Is that ever a hook? To do well and impress a summer instructor in a summer academic program? I have no frame of reference. Is it valuable to get the "feel" of a place, or is the " summer feel" so different as to be useless? Some schools have extended 3-5 week courses and that seems to be a little overboard to me , but ....maybe? All the "You have been selected to attend ,please send money" Honors Seminars D gets are round-filed whether they be medical or politics, or whatever. (When you read down and see you can self-select, that's not much of an honor to me.) Any thoughts would be much appreciated. (Especially if D can work this as a hook.)Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>Unless your daughter already knows that she wants to be at a particular college or in a particular town, I would pick the program that matches your daughter's interests most closely, and not worry too much about where it is. My son spent five weeks this past summer at a college where we knew he would apply, and which is likely to offer him significant financial aid. We were really hoping that he would love the campus and the community, and that the college would become a higher choice for him. Unfortunately, he hated the summer program, and that pretty much determined his attitude toward everything to do with the college.</p>

3

<p>Curmgeon:</p>

<p>S attended Cornell's program last year and loved it. It was extremely well organized.</p>

<p>btw: I was under the impression that CDD did not have a program for HS'ers, except the language immersion (but, really off campus) or debate.</p>

4

<p>Curmudgeon:</p>

<p>Summer schools attract a very different group of students than regular school at a lot of colleges, and sometimes different instructors than the regular faculty. I'm not sure how much of an impression one can get of a college during summer. My S so far has spent several summers at a variety of colleges, including a women's college, but, other than the general setting, I don't think he or we could get a real feel for the colleges.
My advice would be for you and your D to visit a few colleges in the spring and summer to get a feel for different campuses and to spend the rest of the summer doing what she likes, whether it be sports or some academic program. She'll be swamped with applications soon enough!</p>