<p>I want to go the the Columbia University High School Program. Their facebook and website say one thing, but there's all kinds of different info here. Is there anybody here who went recently and can tell me what it is really like? </p>
<p>Go Ivy League!!</p>
<p>My friend went last year, and participated in one about literature/journalism I’m not quite sure. I was going to go, but ended up not being able to due to an international move. At first she did not enjoy it and told me it was a waste of time and money, but at by the end of the course she loved it and is recommending it to everyone she knows. They ended up having quite a lot of free time to explore the city, the dorms were nice (multi-room suites), and the classes were great.</p>
<p>If you have money to spare (it’s about $10,000) and are genuinely interested in the course/seeing what Columbia is about then go for it. But don’t expect it to help you in admissions, because it plays no role (says my school college counselor, and the Yale admissions officer I’ve talked to). These programs are usually to pad the school with extra money.</p>
<p>If you do go, enjoy it! :)</p>
<p>Thanks. The program is not that much, definitely NOT 10,000. I checked the website. It’s “only” $7,680 if you stay on campus, and $4,500 for kids who can commute.</p>
<p>[New</a> York City | Summer Programs for High School Students](<a href=“http://ce.columbia.edu/high-school/nyc]New”>http://ce.columbia.edu/high-school/nyc)</p>
<p>Oh yeah thats right, maybe it was something else that was almost 10k but I’m not quite sure. Either way its still a lot.</p>
<p>Mixed reviews? Back in my freshman year, I was really bent on doing one of those summer program things and looked into Columbia HSP heavily (since I could commute by train/bus). </p>
<p>Never read a single positive review - heard everything from lousy TAs instead of real professors to the food simply sucking. I believe a lot of wealthier kids do it to have a nice vacation in NYC (but that’s the case with everything). Granted, a lot could’ve changed by now, but that’s unlikely - these types of programs are great cash cows for schools looking to put an empty set of undergrad dorms to use in the summer.</p>
<p>If you’re really set on taking some sort of summer program that’s affiliated with the Ivy League, check out legitimate programs - Yale’s Ivy Scholars Program (now called Global Scholars or something), Cornell’s Nanotech program, UPenn-Wharton’s LEAD and Leaders in the Business World (LBW), and Princeton’s smaller journalism program. Of these programs that I’ve mentioned, expense shouldn’t be much of an issue (Ivy Scholars I believe is somewhat expensive, as are the Penn ones, but I’m not sure).</p>
<p>Thanks but I was hoping to hear from people who went to there. There’s plenty of posts positive or not. I am trying to get past “I heard” responses. There’s plenty of those.
And, what makes those other programs “legitimate”?</p>
<p>My D went to the program summer of 2011. She had a wonderful time and is still in touch with many of the friends she made while there. We read all of the bad reviews beforehand also and I admit I was a bit concerned about it, but it turned out to be a great experience for her. She was in the nanotechnology class and at first she felt intimidated by the other students but by the end she was very comfortable. It was a great opportunity to get a taste of college life and have independence. They did so much in the city. They have lots of planned activities and you can also go off on your own. She did both and loved it. The food at John jay was not good but there are so many amazing places to eat she actually used it as an excuse to eat out a lot. It is a bit pricey and she ended up spending about $900 cash while there but that included lots of eating out, shopping in Soho, movies, a broadway show etc. at the end of the program you get an evaluation from the professor and you can use it as part of your college applications if you wish. Her prof really took the time to write a nice letter. The class size was small and yes the prof taught it but they also got to experience working with a TA. I would recommend it but also agree that it is not likely going to help in the admissions process - aside from using your evaluation. However, it shows interest in Columbia so that could help if came down to everything else being equal.</p>
<p>I attended this my sophomore summer and currently go to Columbia. I live in the city, so I opted to commute and had a pretty negative experience. Everyone else in my class dormed (I don’t know what “multi-room suites” another poster is talking about…they all lived in John Jay, which is corridor-style) so I was pretty isolated. I enjoyed the small seminar format of my legal writing class, but really, the professor was a lawyer who ran his own practice in Brooklyn, so his lectures left a little to be desired. Everyone got an A in the end. Honestly, I have no idea if it affected my admission at all. It really felt like a money grab, but if you can afford it, by all means, go for it. You get a nice feel for what college life is like, plus you get a three-week vacation in the city.</p>
<p>If you live in the city (and are on a budget), I’d recommend the Science Honors Program during the school year as an alternative. Even if you’re not scientifically inclined, it’s good for exposure and adds to your well-roundedness. Plus, it gives you something to write about for the “Why Columbia?” prompt on the application.</p>
<p>I just finalised it. I honestly don’t feel like going now.</p>
<p>If you have the resources, do it. Your experience really depends on the class you take, i think. For instance, I knew people in the marketing/PR and test prep classes who said it was a joke. however, I took advanced topics in philosophy and my friend took a class on darwinism, both of which were great and even life-changing, I would say.
Plus, being in NY is an education in itself for someone like me from a very rural area. And all of the commuters were really smart and cool, so if you live in the area you’d be meeting cool people like yourself.</p>