What is the difference between a good and bad summer program?

[Anonymous]

There are some that are helpful in admissions, specifically the really prestigious science programs that are application only and in many cases free or very low cost to attend. Then, there seem to be a second category that are selective but not overly so, that are still costly, and may be somewhat helpful to have on a resume, like the Wharton business program, I don’t recall the name.

There are also other isolated opportunities. My DS is doing a small application only program that was selective but at a not overly selective university.

I do suspect it will help him in admission to that school but he’d likely get in anyway. I think it’s a case where the school is trying to recruit strong candidates.

We considered a number of different programs but only looked at those that were 1) directly run by the university instead of a third party vendor, 2) had some sort of selection process and 3) where the fees seemed like they were in the range of paying for the program itself as opposed to being a cash cow for the school.

[Anonymous]

My kids each did a short summer program the summer before junior year. I had no expectations of it being a boost in college admissions. The point, for us, was to give them exposure to a field they were considering as a major and a bit of exposure to life on a college campus. Neither of them applied/plan to apply to the colleges where they did the programs.

DC attended a program run by the college's extension office and staffed by teachers who weren't part of the college faculty. DD attended a program run by the academic department of the college and staffed by the faculty and current students. Both had a great experience and it confirmed their interest in the fields.

It only came into college applications for DS in that he referred to it in a supplemental essay that asked about his interest in his major and he listed it as an activity. The campus exposure also seemed to reduce the stress level about going to college. Since, DS had already experienced living with a random roommate in a dorm he seemed pretty chill about going into that as a freshman (he just finished freshman year)

DD is a rising senior and the program will probably be referenced in her app in the same way. She also learned some research techniques in the program that she then used in a school science project. She's applying mainly to LACs and will have interviews so I'm sure it will come up there. Now that she has a pretty firm list, I'd have liked her to do a summer program this year at one of those schools, not as an application boost but as a way to get to know the school better. However, she didn't have time because she wanted to spend the summer working at sleepaway camp so she's doing that. From an application boost, that's much more meaningful IMO as the camp is related to her major interest and also shows leadership. Her draft common app essay is also about an experience at that camp (she's attended since she was 9).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Do not expect an admissions advantage. They are viewed as an extracurricular only on the college application and are no more valuable in their eyes than a summer job or volunteer experience.

2. The best ones are run by the college itself and offer actual transferrable course credit

3. Don’t fall for gimmicks like the overpriced summer camp known as Johns Hopkins CTY

Don't bash a program bc your kid can't get in.
JHU CTY is not a pay to play program. It's for the top 5% or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Do not expect an admissions advantage. They are viewed as an extracurricular only on the college application and are no more valuable in their eyes than a summer job or volunteer experience.

2. The best ones are run by the college itself and offer actual transferrable course credit

3. Don’t fall for gimmicks like the overpriced summer camp known as Johns Hopkins CTY

Don't bash a program bc your kid can't get in.
JHU CTY is not a pay to play program. It's for the top 5% or so.

Just because it's for bright students and requires a test score to get in, it does not mean that isn't ALSO an overpriced summer experience. And I say this as someone who admires their course offerings and find their classes generally well run. Just don't expect anything other than intellectual pleasure in the moment, and a lightened wallet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Do not expect an admissions advantage. They are viewed as an extracurricular only on the college application and are no more valuable in their eyes than a summer job or volunteer experience.

2. The best ones are run by the college itself and offer actual transferrable course credit

3. Don’t fall for gimmicks like the overpriced summer camp known as Johns Hopkins CTY

Don't bash a program bc your kid can't get in.
JHU CTY is not a pay to play program. It's for the top 5% or so.

Op here. This is the type of program I was talking about. I remember some top students from my school talking about CTY when I was a kid. I had no idea what it was or how to apply.

I was traveling and meant to come back and say that I didn’t necessarily mean an admissions advantage at the specific college the summer program would be at but a program that college admissions (other colleges) may see as favorable because child has interest in that subject. My oldest will be first to go to college and interested in science and engineering. I can’t seem to tell the difference between programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids each did a short summer program the summer before junior year. I had no expectations of it being a boost in college admissions. The point, for us, was to give them exposure to a field they were considering as a major and a bit of exposure to life on a college campus. Neither of them applied/plan to apply to the colleges where they did the programs.

DC attended a program run by the college's extension office and staffed by teachers who weren't part of the college faculty. DD attended a program run by the academic department of the college and staffed by the faculty and current students. Both had a great experience and it confirmed their interest in the fields.

It only came into college applications for DS in that he referred to it in a supplemental essay that asked about his interest in his major and he listed it as an activity. The campus exposure also seemed to reduce the stress level about going to college. Since, DS had already experienced living with a random roommate in a dorm he seemed pretty chill about going into that as a freshman (he just finished freshman year)

DD is a rising senior and the program will probably be referenced in her app in the same way. She also learned some research techniques in the program that she then used in a school science project. She's applying mainly to LACs and will have interviews so I'm sure it will come up there. Now that she has a pretty firm list, I'd have liked her to do a summer program this year at one of those schools, not as an application boost but as a way to get to know the school better. However, she didn't have time because she wanted to spend the summer working at sleepaway camp so she's doing that. From an application boost, that's much more meaningful IMO as the camp is related to her major interest and also shows leadership. Her draft common app essay is also about an experience at that camp (she's attended since she was 9).

Mine is dojng one for the same reasons. Hoping it will help her decide what interests her of a range of possibilities.

But, also hoping it might look good on the app. Anyone know if SEA Expedition would be worth mentioning? She plans to include it as an EC in research, along with volunteer research for Smithsonian.

[Anonymous]

My kid did UMD's young scholars program and earned 3 college credits. He had the transcript sent to the colleges he applied to (which did not include UMD, incidentally) along with his HS transcript. He did well in admissions and while I can't say the program sealed the deal, it did show capacity for success in college-level work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There is no admissions advantage. There can be an acclimation advantage, if you think your child has a fighting chance of getting into that specific college and you're ready to pay thousands of dollars for it... Your child may also enjoy the courses. But please don't do those programs for a perceived admissions boost!

No admissions boost whatsoever. Shows that a) student is interested in whatever subject and b) family has money. That's it. Most of the programs are renting space from the university they are housed at and are 100% unaffiliated with that university.

My DD attended two pre-college programs that were run by the university and staffed by the department. While there is no guarantee my DD will get into the college she wants, the programs put her in their sights in terms of how hard she works, listens, takes feedback, etc., as well as gives her an idea of what the college is like. It’s better than going into the application as a complete unknown.

Unless it’s a very specific major that requires an audition most department faculty don’t have much, if any, say in what applicants are admitted to an undergraduate program. Departments usually have full say in graduate programs but major changes are so common in undergrad that it falls to the admissions department and sometimes deans to decide. Chances are the people your daughter met will have little to no say in her application being approved or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Do not expect an admissions advantage. They are viewed as an extracurricular only on the college application and are no more valuable in their eyes than a summer job or volunteer experience.

2. The best ones are run by the college itself and offer actual transferrable course credit

3. Don’t fall for gimmicks like the overpriced summer camp known as Johns Hopkins CTY

Don't bash a program bc your kid can't get in.
JHU CTY is not a pay to play program. It's for the top 5% or so.

Just because it's for bright students and requires a test score to get in, it does not mean that isn't ALSO an overpriced summer experience. And I say this as someone who admires their course offerings and find their classes generally well run. Just don't expect anything other than intellectual pleasure in the moment, and a lightened wallet.

Many of my kid's CTY campers went on to some of the most selective universities in the country, including ivy pluses. Just reviewing their FB posts seem to suggest a high percentage at T20 universities. This is not a scientific observation. But not surprised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid did UMD's young scholars program and earned 3 college credits. He had the transcript sent to the colleges he applied to (which did not include UMD, incidentally) along with his HS transcript. He did well in admissions and while I can't say the program sealed the deal, it did show capacity for success in college-level work.

You know you can do this at your local community college, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid did UMD's young scholars program and earned 3 college credits. He had the transcript sent to the colleges he applied to (which did not include UMD, incidentally) along with his HS transcript. He did well in admissions and while I can't say the program sealed the deal, it did show capacity for success in college-level work.

You know you can do this at your local community college, right?

Yes, you can take a class at community college for credit, but this program gives the experience of living on campus. DD is doing it this year, and her (and our) motivation is to see if UMd is really her top choice, and for her to get any kind of a feel for what it's like to be on such a large campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Do not expect an admissions advantage. They are viewed as an extracurricular only on the college application and are no more valuable in their eyes than a summer job or volunteer experience.

2. The best ones are run by the college itself and offer actual transferrable course credit

3. Don’t fall for gimmicks like the overpriced summer camp known as Johns Hopkins CTY

Don't bash a program bc your kid can't get in.
JHU CTY is not a pay to play program. It's for the top 5% or so.

Just because it's for bright students and requires a test score to get in, it does not mean that isn't ALSO an overpriced summer experience. And I say this as someone who admires their course offerings and find their classes generally well run. Just don't expect anything other than intellectual pleasure in the moment, and a lightened wallet.

Many of my kid's CTY campers went on to some of the most selective universities in the country, including ivy pluses. Just reviewing their FB posts seem to suggest a high percentage at T20 universities. This is not a scientific observation. But not surprised.

NP. I mean, correlation is not causation. Bright, wealthy kids attend summer programs and get into top universities. As you said, not a surprise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Do not expect an admissions advantage. They are viewed as an extracurricular only on the college application and are no more valuable in their eyes than a summer job or volunteer experience.

2. The best ones are run by the college itself and offer actual transferrable course credit

3. Don’t fall for gimmicks like the overpriced summer camp known as Johns Hopkins CTY

Don't bash a program bc your kid can't get in.
JHU CTY is not a pay to play program. It's for the top 5% or so.

Pp here. Both of my kids took the CTY tests, attended the award ceremonies, and attended the camps. I know what I’m talking about. Nice try through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Do not expect an admissions advantage. They are viewed as an extracurricular only on the college application and are no more valuable in their eyes than a summer job or volunteer experience.

2. The best ones are run by the college itself and offer actual transferrable course credit

3. Don’t fall for gimmicks like the overpriced summer camp known as Johns Hopkins CTY

Don't bash a program bc your kid can't get in.
JHU CTY is not a pay to play program. It's for the top 5% or so.

Pp here. Both of my kids took the CTY tests, attended the award ceremonies, and attended the camps. I know what I’m talking about. Nice try through.

I should add that UVA SEP was an amazing experience though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Do not expect an admissions advantage. They are viewed as an extracurricular only on the college application and are no more valuable in their eyes than a summer job or volunteer experience.

2. The best ones are run by the college itself and offer actual transferrable course credit

3. Don’t fall for gimmicks like the overpriced summer camp known as Johns Hopkins CTY

Don't bash a program bc your kid can't get in.
JHU CTY is not a pay to play program. It's for the top 5% or so.

Just because it's for bright students and requires a test score to get in, it does not mean that isn't ALSO an overpriced summer experience. And I say this as someone who admires their course offerings and find their classes generally well run. Just don't expect anything other than intellectual pleasure in the moment, and a lightened wallet.

Many of my kid's CTY campers went on to some of the most selective universities in the country, including ivy pluses. Just reviewing their FB posts seem to suggest a high percentage at T20 universities. This is not a scientific observation. But not surprised.

NP. I mean, correlation is not causation. Bright, wealthy kids attend summer programs and get into top universities. As you said, not a surprise.

Low income kids attend CTY and get into top universities as well. They offer FA.