<p>a 10-21 day program is a good choice PROVIDED that you are willing to pay the $2-5k for it. And if I was paying that much, then I would want it to strengthen my application. Having said that, I think NYLF, CSLC, and all those other bogus programs would be a waste. Everyone gets an invitation to attend those programs and it holds very little prestige. I would lean more towards a program run by a university that houses applicants on campus and provides an educational experience and gives your son a taste of college life. </p>
<p>There’s also another factor you may want to consider when picking a program: classes for credit or just the experience? If your son wants to go the precollege route, then he would be taking classes with other undergraduates of the school and the classes would be for credit. Hopkins, Brown, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, and a few other colleges run these programs. I participated in one of these programs and it was rewarding but also a LOT of work. The class is run like a college class. I took a science class and it was lab once a week and lecture three times a week. I learned quite a bit from this program but most of what I learned had nothing to do with academics. For example, if you don’t understand something, then go to your professor’s office hours and someone will help. I also learned the importance of sleep as I stayed up late into the night and had class early in the morning. Most of the mistakes that a first semester freshman makes, I made. And I learned from them so it’s unlikely that I’ll make the same mistakes again in college. </p>
<p>The 2-week type program is more for the experience than learning college basics. This shows that you’re interested in the college and the subject of the program so choose carefully when picking a program. These are short but show you what college life is like (provided you don’t pick any NYLF type trash.)</p>
<p>[JHU</a> Summer Programs](<a href=“http://www.jhu.edu/summer/]JHU”>http://www.jhu.edu/summer/)</p>
<p>Hopkins runs three types of programs: Discover Hopkins, Engineering Innovation, and the Precollege program. Discover Hopkins are two week programs that have a specific focus of study and they range from epidemics to the 2008 election. They also run an Engineering Innovation program that exposes you to the basic concepts important for engineering and the necessity of teamwork. I eventually chose JHU because it was closer to home and the precollege program was only 4 weeks as opposed to 7-8. If you have questions specifically relating to this, I can be of service.</p>
<p>[University</a> of Pennsylvania’s College of General Studies | Summer Programs for High School Students](<a href=“http://www.sas.upenn.edu/CGS/highschool/index_summerhighschool.php]University”>http://www.sas.upenn.edu/CGS/highschool/index_summerhighschool.php)</p>
<p>UPenn runs multiple types of programs. Their website explains everything in detail and all the costs/tuition is clearly labeled.</p>
<p>[Summer</a> at Stanford University - High School - Overview](<a href=“http://summer.stanford.edu/highschool/overview.asp]Summer”>http://summer.stanford.edu/highschool/overview.asp)</p>
<p>Stanford’s program is a Precollege program. It lasts 8 weeks and you can pick from a variety of courses.</p>
<p>[Secondary</a> School Program Overview : Harvard Summer School 2008](<a href=“http://www.summer.harvard.edu/2008/programs/ssp/overview/]Secondary”>http://www.summer.harvard.edu/2008/programs/ssp/overview/)</p>
<p>Harvard’s program is a precollege program. The program is also 7-8 weeks.</p>
<p>[Yale</a> Summer Session | Yale University](<a href=“http://www.yale.edu/summer/index.html]Yale”>http://www.yale.edu/summer/index.html)</p>
<p>Yale is also precollege. 6-8 weeks.</p>
<p>[Summer</a> & Continuing Studies@Brown](<a href=“http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Continuing_Studies/pc/index.php]Summer”>http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Continuing_Studies/pc/index.php)</p>
<p>I’m assuming you’re familiar with Brown since you mentioned it earlier.</p>
<p>Those are the ones that I looked at and, as I said, I eventually chose Hopkins because of it’s reputation for medicine and also because it was closer to home. Many more colleges run programs and it’s up to you to find the right one. One last piece of advice: look at the calendars for each program to see what your son will actually be participating in to get a better sense of the program. The schedule can really help when trying to choose the right one.</p>