What is the best summer enrichment program in terms of boosts in college admission chances?

Pre-College Issues Summer Programs
1

Hey guys!
I am a freshman thinking about my future. I know I will be doing a teen tour in my summer going into Sophmore year, and being a CIT (basically a full councilor that doesn’t get paid) at my camp for the summer going into Senior year, which will give me a lot of service hours.

My question comes for the summer coming into Junior year. What is the best thing for me to do in that summer? A summer at Harvard? A summer at Exeter? (Assuming I dont end up achieving my dream and some how going—although its likely I won’t be able to attend, sadly) A summer at some other enrichment program? A community service tour? Or something different altogether?

Thanks, guys! I look forward to hearing what you all have to say.

P.S. Be easy on me, this is my first time stepping outside of the Prep School Admissions section on CC!

2

That’s great that you are working this summer. That is absolutely one of the very best things a student can do, not only for college admissions, but, much more importantly, for their growth and development. I think it would be great if you can continue that type of thing in the future.

In terms of summer enrichment programs, probably the very best advice is to choose whatever one sounds most appealing to you. From a college admissions standpoint, it’s generally best if an application makes sense. For example, is someone interested in medicine, and who has the resources to do summer enrichment, exploring that field, not going to a more “prestigious” program not in their area of interest?

Again, more importantly, the most important thing for a student to be doing during their high school (not pre-college) years is to learn about themselves. What do they enjoy? What motivates them? Who do they enjoy? Who makes them the best person they can be? That can best be done by exploring your interests. Some will pan out, some won’t. That’s okay. That’s what’s supposed to happen. So figure out where your interests might be. Find some programs that will give you exposure to that. Maybe you WILL love it, maybe not. But that’s how to figure it out. And if you figure it out, then your college application process will go great. Good luck!

3

I agree with all the points in reply #1, and will also share what my daughter did her junior year.

We talked through doing a 4, 6 or 8 week program but in the end, she did a one week engineering intensive at the school that was her #1. That gave her the opportunity to work and save some money the rest of that summer, along with getting in service hours. She was also concerned about the cost for the longer programs which at some schools was quite hefty. Would it have been more “prestigious” to do a full summer somewhere? Maybe, but she got a great taste of what life would be like at this school, was able to write a wonderful school specific essay, and was accepted with an invite to honors college.

As an aside, summer program applications often open 1st semester of junior year. We have a friend who didn’t realize that and ended up missing the deadlines so planning ahead isn’t a bad idea.

Do what you love!

4

None. Or all. You’re really asking the wrong question. Colleges want you to be active in the summer. It can be a paying job, volunteer work, academic work, soccer camp, whatever. Just not sitting on the sofa playing video games all summer. Do what you want/find something you love.

5

what @skieurope said…summers in HS should be a time for you to:
Work - so you can learn the ins and outs of working in a low risk environment and make money
Watching siblings to help out family
Going to camp to explore activities/interests
Taking a class in something interesting
Volunteering

All of these are productive things…do what you need to/are interesting to you.

6

“What is the best summer enrichment program?”

The one that enriches you the most.

7

@TTG Thanks for the advice! Problem is: I have no clue what I want to do when I’m older–it’s a real concern of mine. I just find myself interested in sooo many different things. How can anybody choose just one? (maybe it’s bad that I said that exact like in all of my prep school interviews ahha)

@momofsenior1 Great advice! Thanks!

@skieurope And here I was thinking you were just a prep school admissions mod! Anyways, I have been going to camp since I was 7. I love meeting new people, traveling, and doing some learning while I’m at it. (Not classroom learning though, I mean learning about cultures and things) A teen tour has done this all for me, and I love it. But at a certain point, you run out of tours to do! So this will be my last summer doing that. I already work in my family business once a week. (Not much time, but its something and I learn a TON about business there) As I mentioned in my first reply, I am seriously concerned about what I want to do when I’m older. So I think an enrichment program at a college, or even an Exeter Summer if I don’t end up going, where I can choose particular classes, will be beneficial to me. I don’t think schools offer enough of this elective type of situation where I can explore my own interests in a more specified environment.

Also, I was told by a friend of mine (senior) going to the University of Miami, that doing a college summer program is the best thing for college admissions. I was not sure if that was true, hence my post here.

Thanks again to everybody who helped out!

8

So here’s the thing - 17-18 year old seniors generally don’t know how much they do not know and should not be your primary source of advice on this process (not that I’ll that more worldly wise :smiley: )

Sometimes doing an academic program over the summer makes sense. Sometimes it does not. There is something to be said for doing something non-academic in order to recharge your batteries for the Fall.

I’ve also said on other threads, applicants need to eliminate the word “impressive” or “best” or similar words from their vocabulary until after decisions are made. It is the rare application/course schedule/EC that will “impress” admissions. Perhaps the AO that read Malala’s application was “impressed” but she set the bar high. Do things that are right for you.

9

It is absolutely natural you don’t what you want to be doing down the road. Just explore what you might want to do. Truly, understanding yourself, trusting yourself, appreciating yourself are the keys to success in the admissions process, which is really about finding a place where you’ll get a great education that is the best fit for you. You’ll be better able to articulate why you should be accepted to your top choices. And you will be able to make great choices for yourself in general. Summer programs can be a part of that learning. If some sort of pre-med program sounds dreadful, don’t do it. If some sort of writing program sounds fantastic, look for a great one of those. If vice versa, do the opposite. Maybe you’ll be disappointed, and that’s helpful. Maybe you’ll be inspired, and that’s great.

10

Summer programs in which you take a class at a university are generally very expensive and don’t buy you any advantage in admissions at the university – e.g., taking a summer class at Harvard, Stanford, or Duke won’t help you get admitted to Harvard, Stanford, or Duke.

The summer programs that really stand out on a college application are free but are extremely competitive (RSI, TASP, …) The kids in these programs do very well with college admissions, but that is a poor reason to apply to them.

What is your family business? Working during your summers is an excellent EC. As you said, you’ve learned tons about business there. Why not continue? You seem to enjoy it, and it could be fodder for an interesting college essay.

I once heard a HS guidance counselor tell about a kid that wrote a college essay about working summers in the kitchen of a restaurant. Mundane, right? The opening line though went something like this: “There’s nothing like working over hot stoves with people in a time crunch and wielding sharp knives.” That’ll sure get you attention and make you memorable.

11

Although I would posit that they do well in college admissions for other reasons. I personally doubt that any AO ever said, “Hey this kid was accepted to RSI, we should admit him/her.”

12

True. The RSI kids have more to show than just that on a college application – technical papers from RSI research and very often awards from major science competitions.

13

What do YOU want to do? That is what will benefit you the most, in my opinion. Heck, I had a friend who was an avid game modder who just spent all summer working on a mod (much to the chagrin of parents, who thought he was wasting away his summer “playing video games”) that grew to have a huge fanbase at the end, and that got him admitted to his first choice school for computer science.

I’m just a lowly high school junior though, what do I know :stuck_out_tongue:

14

Wow, guys, I never really thought of it like that. I guess that the admissions process REALLY is more of an art than a science. I don’t know if I could ever be an AO—I am very analytically (I trust the numbers) and there seems to be way too many moving parts here!

IMO, I think I can find a benefit in nearly anything I do—I am not necessarily an optimist. But, there’s always something to learn or experience—always.

A med program sounds great! But, so does a writers workshop. I am leaning towards a program like a Harvard Summer because I can take multiple special interest classes.

Honestly, though, I’m happy with nearly anything but history.

Also, @whatisyourquest my family owns a pretzel store, amongst other things, but its the only one I’m old enough to work at. And its the only thing within an hour driving distance from me. I can only work on Sunday, because its the only day I can get a ride, and working after school is unreasonable because of the hour commute into the city. It may sound small, but it’s pretty big. I do the register, sometimes help manage, and even do some of the “grunt work” to get a taste of the real working experience. The best part about it is the car ride there with my grandpa. We always get into super deep conversations about the world, or anything else random—but mostly its business related. I learn a lot on those car rides. I also love talking to people, so doing the register is fun. I’m also quite into psychology, so I love experimenting with different up-sale methods. I make it like a game to see which method works best. I’m a very hands-on learner, in case you have not noticed.

Thanks again for all the great advice, guys!

P.S. Just realized I cant do any of the summer college programs for at least another 2 years. So I’m gonna do a teen tour this summer, then work at camp next summer. I think that’s the best move at the moment. I also might work full-time this summer in August. Gotta start saving that money! But, I wouldn’t work for my family. Since I’m sort of like one of the owners there (at least its how the other employees view me), I feel like I don’t get the real working for someone else, difficult, ruthless, long hours, that another job could provide.

Thanks again–peace

15

@coppii One important thing to remember, though — high school is your last chance to be a kid, to have fun and be with friends without the overhead of adult responsibilities. Don’t overstress yourself like I did for 10th and currently 11th grade (ending in less than 30 days) and end up with a questionable social life, strained relations with a lot of people due to my ill tempered mood from stress, health complications and a severe lack of sleep.

I know everyone (including me) is obsessing about being accepted to the best college possible. I TOTALLY get that and understand why they are the targets to hit, but there’s no good in going to an Ivy if you are going with health problems and other things that will make your life hard, over going to a state flagship, but with the drive and healthy state needed to work and succeed. There is no shame in going to a “worse” college – people who might try to make a big deal out of someone going to a “bad” school are just jerks anyway.

If you are motivated to work hard in college and you do, your undergraduate school will not matter too much, especially if you are pursuing a graduate degree since those programs tend to look more at your research and GPA than your institution. Those who work hard will always find their way to success.

Good luck to you!

A regretful high school junior (soon to be senior)

16

@mundyt To be honest, I’m confident in myself to do well in life in general. I care way less about what college I go to than what high school I go to. I’m still working to get into a good college prep school. I have way more posts on Prep School Admissions. This was just a random little thought that I had.

Also, I do well in school and care about my grades. But, when I get home, I’m just ALWAYS busy—weather its the gym, with friends, or doing some EC. I really lack in getting home work done on time! (Or at all)

Thanks for the advice though. I would never compromise who I am just to go to a better college, by the way.

17

@coppii Please keep that in mind. Sometimes the competition in high school can get insane to the point where you feel incredibly pressured to start trying to be “better” than others which then leads to overloading.

18

@mundyt I always try to be the best I can be—but I never use my peers as the standard for comparison. Jimmy might be better at chemistry than me, but I smoked his score in Bio last year. Alex over there does varsity baseball, but he’s just more sporty than me—I know how to program. Etc. It’s never a 1:1 comparison.