College-Prep: Summer Programs

Many students (especially our high school juniors) ask us what would be the most ideal way to spend their upcoming summer vacation. As spring semester begins, this is the best time to start exploring your options. Some students may plan on taking supplementary courses at your high school or a nearby community college. However, if that does not apply to you, we recommend that you look into summer programs offered by prestigious colleges or institutions.

Summer programs are available in various areas of study, from academic subjects to sports and the arts. We highly recommend that you look for a program in which you can pursue your interests, perhaps to cultivate a certain talent or explore an academic area. As advised by College Board, there are some factors you should consider when looking for a summer program:

• How much of the summer do I want to commit to a program? Programs can range from as short as a weekend to eight+ weeks.
• What do I want to get out of a summer program? Do I want to improve my academic skills, act in a play, teach young children, learn how to conduct a political campaign, practice a second language or work with engineers in the computer industry?
• Where do I want to stay? There are residential programs where students live in dorms. In other programs, students live at home, attending school only during the day.
• How much can I spend on a summer program? If the answer is nothing, see whether there are free programs available in your state or school district.

While there are numerous programs out there, we have highlighted the pre-college programs that we most recommend below (organized by subject matter/focus). Each program has its own application requirements. Some want a transcript, letters of recommendation from student's current teacher, and a graded writing assignment. Others just want a financial commitment.

If any program seems of particular interest to you, go to its correlating website and review the application deadline and requirements—some programs’ applications are due this month, so hurry!

GENERAL COLLEGE SUMMER PROGRAMS

n  Barnard College – Summer in New York City – Variety of programs including 5-week courses in Architecture, Art History, Cultural Studies, Environmental Science, Film Studies, History, Literature, Music, Psychology, Religion, Theatre, Writing, and Law; One-Week Mini Courses in Theatre to go, Acting, and Crafting Fictions; and a Young Women’s Leadership Institute. For further information go to http://www.barnard.edu/pcp

n  Boston University – Two programs: 1) High School Honors Program; 2) Summer Challenge: For further information visit www.bu.edu/summer/highschool

n  Brown University Pre-college Summer - One to seven-week sessions in the months of June, July and August.  For further information go to www.brown.edu/summer

n  Carnegie Mellon University Pre-college Summer - To obtain information log on to www.cmu.edu/enrollment/pre-college

n  Colorado College Summer – This program offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to explore college life and earn college credit at one of the most consistently highly ranked private liberal arts college in the country, at the foot of Pikes Peak.  For more information, visit www.ColoradoCollege.edu/SummerSession

n  Cornell University Summer – Participants in this program are able to experience college life, take real college courses with Cornell’s faculty, earn an average of three to six college credits, and explore careers from architecture to veterinary medicine among many other opportunities. For further information visit http://www.summercollege.cornell.edu/

n  Earlham College Explore-A-College Program – This program is designed to let students “practice” going to college or have a “dress rehearsal{ before the real college experience begins.  Participants take classes, develop college-level discussion, research, and time management skills that they can use in their high school courses and beyond.  For more information, visit www.earlham.edu/~eac

n  Summer Discovery Pre-College Enrichment program for high school students available on the following campuses: UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, University of Michigan, Georgetown University, University of Pennsylvania, Northeastern University and Cambridge University, etc.  For further information log on to http://www.summerdiscovery.com/

n  UCLA - several programs are being offered this summer – High School-Level Program:  Student entering grades 9 – 12 can take enrichment courses in a variety of subjects.  Information is available at www.uclaextension.org/highschool.

n  UCLA Summer Institute – UCLA Summer Sessions and Special Programs offers summer programs to motivated high school students who would like to get a jump-start on their college career and gain enrichment in a variety of interesting and challenging subjects. For further information, visit http://www.summer.ucla.edu/

n  UCSD:  Academic Connections is a three-week summer residential program that offers highly motivated students in grades 9 – 12 with a GPA of 3.3 or better the opportunity to take in-depth courses in biomedical  science, humanities/arts, engineering, marine science, law, visual arts and many others.  Applications are on a first-come, first-served basis.  For more information visit http://www.academicconnections.ucsd.edu/

n  UC Riverside:  The Summer Academy for Advanced High Schools ~ 
Students allows students to attend UCR during two 5-week summer sessions.  For more information visit http://summer.ucr.edu/

n  University of Chicago Summer Program: Various summer programs.  For more information go to http://summer.uchicago.edu/

n  University of Pennsylvania Summer Program: A rigorous academic experience in an Ivy League environment, Penn offers a variety of summer programs for student who will be juniors or senior in the Fall: Science Academies, Art and Architecture, Theatre Workshops, and a Pre- College Program. For more information go to www.sas.upenn.edu/CGS/highschool

n  USC Summer Programs – Participants get a preview of “freshman year” through 4-2-1- week summer programs on the USC campus. Courses in architecture, business, engineering, journalism, pre-health, pre-law, science, visual and performing arts, and writing are offered.  For further information log onto http://www.usc.edu/

n  Washington University in St. Louis Summer Scholars Program: Participants spend five weeks as a college student earning college credit.  For further information visit www.ucollege.wustl.edu/hssp

MATH/SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY

n  Boston University – Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists: An intensive experience in creative mathematical exploration for ambitious high school students in grades 9 – 12 with an exceptionally strong interest in mathematics. Applications and further information is available at http://www.promys.org/

n  Carleton College - Students at this program will learn to think and write like scientists by engaging in classroom and hands-on research activities related to their interests.  Their experience will culminate in a presentation at the CSSI Research Symposium held at the end of the program. For more information, visit www.carleton.edu/summer

n  Smith Summer Science & Engineering Program – The sciences and engineering offer so many great opportunities for girls. Come and explore your interests this summer at one of the top-rated colleges in the country – learn about biology of women athletes, design with engineers or unlock the mystery of your own DNA. This program is open to girls entering grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 in the Fall. For more information, visit www.smith.edu/ssep

n  UC Davis COSMOS (California State Summer School for Math and Science) – Four-week academic residential program for talented and motivated math and science students who will have completed grades 9 through 12 by this coming June.  For more information go to http://www.cosmos.ucdavis.edu/

n  UC Irvine COSMOS – For further information, go to http://www.cosmos.uci.edu/

n  UCSB: Early Start and Research Mentorship.  For more Information visit http://www.summer.ucsb.edu/precollegeprograms/index.html

BUSINESS/FINANCE/ADVERTISING

n  University of Illinois-Urbana Ad Camp. For sophomores, juniors, seniors. http://www.aaf.org/adcamp

n  Summer Discovery – pre-college enrichment, business and leadership for all high school students. Locations include: NYU, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, U of M, Georgetown, Penn, Northeastern University Boston, Shanghai-China, Cambridge-London, Barcelona-Madrid-Valencia-Spain, Florence-Italy. See website: http://www.summerdiscovery.com/

n  The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania or in San Francisco – Leadership in the Business World: A summer program for rising high school seniors. www.wharton.upenn.edu/academics/lbw.cfm

MUSIC/ARTS

n  Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY. Pre-College Program for art, design, architecture, creative writing, construction management, or critical and visual studies. Offering credit and non-credit courses. www.pratt.edu/prostudies or 718-636-3453.

n  OTIS Summer of Art – College Preparation Program in Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA, www.otis.edu/soa

n  California College of the Arts – Earn 3 units of college credit. www.cca.edu/precollege or 800-447-ART

n  Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) – Three Days of Fashion: Participants can take classes, create state-of-the-art graphics, tour some of the best shopping spots, learn to sketch a fashion figure, and more. For more information: http://www.fidm.edu/ \

n  NYU Tisch School of the Arts Summer – This program is designed to encourage gifted high school students to pursue careers in the performing and media arts. Four-week intensive program provides an introduction to the state of the arts today, along with professional conservatory training and hand-on production experience. For further information, go to http://www.specialprograms.tisch.nyu.edu/

n  University of Southern California (USC) Summer Programs. Summer Seminars include topics of Photography, Video Game Design and Journalism. Rising Juniors and Seniors live on campus and study with USC instructors. http://www.usc.edu/summer%20or%20312-740-5679.

n  Savannah College of Art & Design – Two programs available:  Rising Star – for upcoming juniors and seniors who have an interest in visual and performing arts, design, the building arts, or the history or art and architecture. Savannah Summer Seminars – for upcoming sophomores, juniors, and seniors.  A weeklong experience of information:  visit www.scad.edu/summer or E-mail admission@scad.edu

n  School of the Museum of Fine Arts – Pre-College summer program for students who have completed at least their sophomore year in high school. The program is a unique, rigorous five-week program devoted to making art, sharing art, and living art. For more information, go to www.smfa.edu/precollege

n  School of Visual Arts (SVA) Pre-College summer program is designed for high school students who want to enhance their creative skills, learn more about a particular art field, or develop a portfolio. For more information go to http://www.sva.edu/

WRITING/JOURNALISM

n  Barnard College-Writing In the City Summer Pre-College Program. Apply at www.barnard.edu/precollege. For more info contact pcp@barnard.edu or 212.854.8866.

n  Great Books Summer Program – Students come together at Amherst College and Stanford University to take up the Great Conversation of classic literature, with a broad range of texts and discussions.  For more information go to http://www.greatbookssummer.com/.

n  Princeton University Summer Journalism Program. All expenses paid for students from under-resourced financial background. www.princeton.edu/sjp.

n  The University of Tulsa Summer Residential Camps in Screenwriting and Filmmaking for Sophomores and Juniors. Camp dates are in June. Contact Michael-wright@tulsa.edu or at 918-631-3174.

n  Fir Acres Workshop in Writing and Thinking – Lewis and Clark College, two week program for grades 8-12. www.lclark.edu/org/firacres