High School Freshman — What should they do this summer?? Aspire to going to competitive college

[Anonymous]

Something she's passionate about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop obsessing over college admissions. What your kid does in the summer has very little impact.

1000%. This is not a good look, OP.

You don’t understand. SHE is the one driving the bus here. We would prefer she get a local job and volunteer over the summer, she wants to live somewhere else and learn/do something more novel.

So, what does SHE actually want to do? You left that part out of the original post. And no, no one is going to “understand” unless you provide adequate information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop obsessing over college admissions. What your kid does in the summer has very little impact.

1000%. This is not a good look, OP.

You don’t understand. SHE is the one driving the bus here. We would prefer she get a local job and volunteer over the summer, she wants to live somewhere else and learn/do something more novel.

Your response doesn’t compute with your original post. You said “I can’t find internships” meaning you were doing the research. If she is driving the bus. You don’t need to do anything (unless she is applying to a program you can’t afford or doesn’t work for your family overall).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop obsessing over college admissions. What your kid does in the summer has very little impact.

1000%. This is not a good look, OP.

You don’t understand. SHE is the one driving the bus here. We would prefer she get a local job and volunteer over the summer, she wants to live somewhere else and learn/do something more novel.

Your response doesn’t compute with your original post. You said “I can’t find internships” meaning you were doing the research. If she is driving the bus. You don’t need to do anything (unless she is applying to a program you can’t afford or doesn’t work for your family overall).

Well that’s the crux of it, the programs she finds are quite expensive, she wants an academic residential program — taking courses while living on college campus. We prefer an internship which would hopefully just cost room and board or maybe even pay something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop obsessing over college admissions. What your kid does in the summer has very little impact.

1000%. This is not a good look, OP.

You don’t understand. SHE is the one driving the bus here. We would prefer she get a local job and volunteer over the summer, she wants to live somewhere else and learn/do something more novel.

Your response doesn’t compute with your original post. You said “I can’t find internships” meaning you were doing the research. If she is driving the bus. You don’t need to do anything (unless she is applying to a program you can’t afford or doesn’t work for your family overall).

Well that’s the crux of it, the programs she finds are quite expensive, she wants an academic residential program — taking courses while living on college campus. We prefer an internship which would hopefully just cost room and board or maybe even pay something.

Well, here’s the thing. Kids don’t always get what they want. There’s a fabulous summer program that dd likes at Smith College. $4K for two weeks. There’s a three week program at Columbia for $12K. It’s not going to happen. You can and should push back on your kid. I have no problem being clear about what we’ll support. These are just money sponges for college.

Maybe some internship will appear. But it’s unlikely. She can get a job at a camp like so many other kids. She’ll be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop obsessing over college admissions. What your kid does in the summer has very little impact.

1000%. This is not a good look, OP.

You don’t understand. SHE is the one driving the bus here. We would prefer she get a local job and volunteer over the summer, she wants to live somewhere else and learn/do something more novel.

Your response doesn’t compute with your original post. You said “I can’t find internships” meaning you were doing the research. If she is driving the bus. You don’t need to do anything (unless she is applying to a program you can’t afford or doesn’t work for your family overall).

Well that’s the crux of it, the programs she finds are quite expensive, she wants an academic residential program — taking courses while living on college campus. We prefer an internship which would hopefully just cost room and board or maybe even pay something.

Perfectly appropriate to tell her what you can afford - giver her a dollar amount so she can research within those parameters.

[Anonymous]

Research therapists because all the stress you put on them they will need it

[Anonymous]

There are some good debate camps at Michigan and UT and Georgetown - but also pricey

[Anonymous]

No one wants to pay a 15yo to do an internship!

College summer programs are ridiculous wastes of money. She can learn new stuff on her own if learning is her goal. She seems to want to rack yo things she thinks are prestigious (and doesn’t have a clue).

[Anonymous]

My kid did a survival camp. Learned to make fire, build a shelter by nightfall and skin a rabbit for dinner.
Highly recommend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one wants to pay a 15yo to do an internship!

College summer programs are ridiculous wastes of money. She can learn new stuff on her own if learning is her goal. She seems to want to rack yo things she thinks are prestigious (and doesn’t have a clue).

Yeah, the “even pay a bit” line for a rising high school sophomore residential out of state/area internship is totally ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Overland Summers hiking trip.

It’s the perfect summer “camp” for this stage and an amazing experience. Several kids at our private have gone and almost everyone had a excellent college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the advice above to find a summer debate camp.

You're probably too affluent, but it looks like there's a good free one at BASIS DC. https://urbandebatewashingtondc.org/camp/

There are several others in the DC area. They cost money, but some are fairly reasonable, e.g., $300 a week. It's not that attending debate camp will in and of itself help, but if she becomes a better debater that could help.

[Anonymous]

There are paid internships for High school stem students at Navy, MITRE, NASA, ect in the DC metro area. My kid had one last year as a rising senior. It is difficult to get one of the internships as a High school junior or senior…like 1% of applicants. There have been students get them after freshman year, but the resume would have to be extraordinary.
I agree with those that say to follow your daughter’s interests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop obsessing over college admissions. What your kid does in the summer has very little impact.

1000%. This is not a good look, OP.

You don’t understand. SHE is the one driving the bus here. We would prefer she get a local job and volunteer over the summer, she wants to live somewhere else and learn/do something more novel.

Your response doesn’t compute with your original post. You said “I can’t find internships” meaning you were doing the research. If she is driving the bus. You don’t need to do anything (unless she is applying to a program you can’t afford or doesn’t work for your family overall).

Well that’s the crux of it, the programs she finds are quite expensive, she wants an academic residential program — taking courses while living on college campus. We prefer an internship which would hopefully just cost room and board or maybe even pay something.

Well, here’s the thing. Kids don’t always get what they want. There’s a fabulous summer program that dd likes at Smith College. $4K for two weeks. There’s a three week program at Columbia for $12K. It’s not going to happen. You can and should push back on your kid. I have no problem being clear about what we’ll support. These are just money sponges for college.

Maybe some internship will appear. But it’s unlikely. She can get a job at a camp like so many other kids. She’ll be fine.

Summer college programs are a scam. They make the families think they have a shot at the school. The school rents out their empty facilities to a separate unaffiliated company and hire the professors as paid consultants. It all has the veneer of being a college experience.
Paid internships are BS. A real job speaks more about real experiences than an artificial "job" paid for by mommy and daddy.