<p>I asked about this on the Summer Programs forum, but I have not received any replies. Can anyone who has attended tell me about the WUSTL Summer Scholars program? How was your experience? What is the level of supervision like? We are considering it for ds this summer.<br>
TIA!</p>
<p>Do you mean the Freshman Summer Academic Program? Great program. Allows you to earn 6u and be familiar with the school and St louis. Activites every weekend. 1 class in AM and 1 class in PM.</p>
<p>yes, I guess. It’s open to high school students as well, not just incoming freshman. If I weren’t such a techno-idiot (I’m a mom!) I would link it. Did you do the program?</p>
<p>You’re talking about HSSP ([High</a> School Summer Experiences](<a href=“http://summerexperiences.wustl.edu/]High”>http://summerexperiences.wustl.edu/)), which is entirely different from FSAP (FSAP is only incoming students, not high schoolers).</p>
<p>Haven’t done either, but I thought I’d clarify.</p>
<p>Yes, this is what I am asking about. There are two programs for high schoolers - one called High School Summer Scholars (which is for credit - five weeks long), and another program called High School Summer Institutes (which is not for credit). I am interested in learning about the former. The one that is for credit, but for high school students. This one: [HIGH</a> SCHOOL SUMMER SCHOLARS PROGRAM | High School Summer Experiences](<a href=“http://summerexperiences.wustl.edu/scholars]HIGH”>http://summerexperiences.wustl.edu/scholars)</p>
<p>Not familiar with the FSAP - not there yet! :D</p>
<p>ETA: My ds did the link for me!</p>
Ok I know this is super late but I know that when I was applying last year, I searched for and read through literally all of these threads so I thought that maybe I could help like one person who’s wondering what the program was like (plus it was so great I just want to share my experience!).
I did the program this past summer (session B) as a rising junior, and although most of the students were seniors, there was a fair amount of juniors as well. Most people applying wonder if this will help them in college admissions (specifically to WUSTL). I can’t say if this is true or not, as I obviously don’t work in their admissions department, but I will say a couple related facts/anecdotes that might help answer this question:
-their website says about 1/3 of scholars applying for admission are accepted. that’s significantly higher than the normal ~15% acceptance rate.
-I know at least 5 people from my program who were accepted early decision. everyone there was really smart and uniquely qualified, so they may have gotten in anyway, I don’t know.
-I know a lot of others applying regular decision and personally, I think they have a really good chance, but I can’t say for sure. I’ve yet to hear of anyone from my session getting rejected.
-a couple of my program advisors for the program (live in the dorms, chaperone, etc.) did the program and said it helped them in admissions.
-my other friends who did the program who didn’t end up choosing WashU as their top choice are going to schools like Vassar, Duke, etc.
-we were told that the acceptance rate for the program was a bit less than 50%
Besides that piece, I can honestly say that the summer scholars program was the best thing I’ve ever done with my summer. I made the most amazing friends that I still keep in touch with and I LOVED my classes. Plus, it’s really cool to be able to brag about already having those college credits. I would recommend picking this program over one that doesn’t offer credit, because at least then you are paying for a tangible thing.
Also, I was expecting everyone there to be spoiled and rich, and while there was a bit of that, the majority of my friends were there on scholarship and were much more socioeconomically (as well as racially/culturally) diverse than I expected.
St. Louis is awesome and I especially appreciated it because I’d never been to the midwest before. There’s a ton to do and though there can be a lot of work, i would say that it was significantly easier to keep up with the classes than I expected. Plus, there were a lot of actual undergrads in my classes, so it was a good way to get to know the students/personality of the school. We went off campus a lot, and my friend and I even took a bus into Chicago to attend a music festival pretty spontaneously, which was really cool.
I would highly recommend the program to any highly motivated student who wants a fun but still educational (without being super competitive) summer experience!