WSJ: Summer "Do Good" Tours for Polishing Applicant Resumes

[xiggi]

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I used to be a college counselor at a fancy prep school, and one of my “areas of expertise” was summer programs. Yet as often as I explained the relative merits of Cambridge and Paris, I never really grasped the bald luxury of these outfits until I saw the Semester at Sea ship awaiting her student passengers, many of whom had spent the night before in the expensive Atlantis resort, awaiting a journey on which they could do anything from suntan around the pool to attend lectures by Desmond Tutu. Now, that’s edu-tainment, at roughly $11,500 to $16,000 for the summer, depending on how swank a cabin Junior gets.

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<p>I am not sure that this analogy works well. The Semester at Sea is part of a college program. It should be compared to other programs abroad, and considering most what is offered does not seem “that” different. It is only more obvious that the Semester at Sea is a pampered vacation with limited academic relevance. And so are most of the college abroad programs! </p>

<p>Now, this does not compare AT ALL with the numerous programs that are meant to embellish a college application. They are totally different animals.</p>