Hey everyone!
I’m browsing possible summer programs and I’ve narrowed it down to UChicago’s and Harvard’s programs. In broad strokes, what are they like? How selective/difficult is it to be accepted into these programs? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
well im not that into summer schools but FEW TIPS
- REGISTER AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN , GO DO IT NOW :D
- its quite hard to get in! you need some nice sat scores and gpa
- there are tons of other programs ,which are even better than harvard/uchicago and etc, they just use their BRAND NAMES. -you could try MIT summer programs , costs less and is more productive -BU has some nice programs as well!
thats all i can tell youu 
I don’t think either are very selective as they are both pay to play programs. Please don’t “register as quickly as you can”. If there is a specific course you are interested in, similar courses may be offered at your community college and/or other alternative programs that don’t have a hefty price tag. If, however, you have the money to burn or can get a financial scholarship from these programs and you would like the experience, by all means go for it. Net, net…don’t attend these programs because you think they are “selective” and will somehow give you a competitive edge. Only attend if they have a course which you are truly interested in. Hope this helps.
@ThinkOn I’m not going for them purely because I think they could be selective. They both have courses that I am strongly interested in. I am also looking for rigorous programs, and from my (admittedly limited) research, they both fit the bill. Thank you for the help!
I participated in the Harvard Summer School Program last year. Feel free to ask me any questions you have, but here’s a general overview:
From a social aspect, it seemed like rising seniors/people who just graduated had a different experience than the younger participants. The older group did not have an official curfew (just had to check in with your dorm’s proctor if you were gonna be out past 1), while the younger kids had a strict curfew. I was part of the older group.
The classes were good. I only chose the Harvard program because it was the only one I could find that offered a linguistics class (which by the way was awesome), but I enjoyed my macro class too. Classes were a little less challenging than I expected, but still challenging (if that makes sense). If you put in the work, you could get a good grade, but if you slacked off…
Feel free to ask me more about specifics or anything!
Edit: From my perspective, Harvard’s application essay questions weren’t that difficult to complete. I’m not sure about the acceptance rate or anything, but as long as you have solid grades (I don’t think you have to worry about test scores), you should be fine.
I think they are likely to be similar in terms of the quality of courses. Pick the school you are most interested in applying to. You get a really in-depth experience of the campus. You will live in the dorms and eat the food. There will be plenty of undergraduates around helping with the program, so you can talk to some to get some insight into the real undergraduate experience.
Harvard is fun in the summer. You can watch the tourists having their picture taken with the statue of John Harvard. There are also lots of great colleges and universities nearby. If you show up a few days early, you can also tour MIT and Tufts, at least.
If you are interested in life science, look at UChicago RIBS (that’s a competitive program).
@Faultystart thank you for the information!
@BelleofAmherst thank you! I actually live in the Boston area (10-15 minutes away from Harvard), so I’m very familiar with Harvard’s environs. I’m most interested in applying to UChicago, so I’m leaning towards their program, but I’m still not sure what to do.
I could always apply to both and then decide. That’s a lot of work, though.
Both are expensive and are extremely easy to be accepted into. These types of programs sponsored by premier universities are pretty much a way for the uni to make some extra cash, and they don’t actually help you very much compared to the amount of money you will be spending. I got into Harvard’s summer program last year with a half hearted application, and decided not to go. The best summer programs are not very expensive or even free, and they are extremely selective. It’s probably a better choice to do some research or intern somewhere over the summer.
@java23 thanks for the input! There is a high possibility I may be able to intern for a senator this summer, so that will factor into my decision.