Are summer boarding programs at Brown, Harvard, Penn, Exeter, Andover worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have multiple students who do summer at Harvard each year. Almost all of them are rejected from Harvard when they apply to be admitted as freshmen.

I have a low opinion of this program because students who do this ALL come back believing they will be admitted to Harvard, assuring me that professors had told them they "had a good chance." These students sometimes go back to the summer program several times, and often these are weak students. I understand Harvard is making (a lot) of money from these students in the program, and it must be difficult for the profs teaching in the summer program (to make extra money) to be confronted with weak students who must be placated to ensure they keep coming back and paying, but the whole things leaves a bad taste in my mouth and leads to heartbreak each year when rejection letters come out.

I know quite a few kids that have done the Harvard and Brown summer things. This year alone they're going to Brown, Duke, Cornell, Harvard, Yale. I'm not saying they got in because of the programs, I am saying these programs attract highly motivated kids. There's a lot of value in kids being exposed to smart diverse peers from around the world. Further, being away at summer school is far more productive than what the average lazy ass American teen -- which is sit on their ass all summer, maybe scoop ice cream while texting.

That's lovely, but most of my students who did Harvard for summer actually believed they were going to be admitted to "real" Harvard because of the programs, and because of what the profs told them. Also, I can only conclude that grade inflation is rampant at the Harvard summer program because mediocre students I taught were given outrageously inflated evaluative feedback. It was NOT fair to do this to kids and their parents. For what it's worth, I live and teach in Europe, so many of these families were not American and they (and their kids) truly believed the students were going to be admitted as Harvard freshmen. The admin/PR for the Harvard summer school does nothing to discourage this delusion. I currently have four academically mediocre students who are convinced they will be receiving acceptance letters to Harvard in the near future, and they will all be crushed when they receive the rejections. I see this every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have multiple students who do summer at Harvard each year. Almost all of them are rejected from Harvard when they apply to be admitted as freshmen.

I have a low opinion of this program because students who do this ALL come back believing they will be admitted to Harvard, assuring me that professors had told them they "had a good chance." These students sometimes go back to the summer program several times, and often these are weak students. I understand Harvard is making (a lot) of money from these students in the program, and it must be difficult for the profs teaching in the summer program (to make extra money) to be confronted with weak students who must be placated to ensure they keep coming back and paying, but the whole things leaves a bad taste in my mouth and leads to heartbreak each year when rejection letters come out.

I know quite a few kids that have done the Harvard and Brown summer things. This year alone they're going to Brown, Duke, Cornell, Harvard, Yale. I'm not saying they got in because of the programs, I am saying these programs attract highly motivated kids. There's a lot of value in kids being exposed to smart diverse peers from around the world. Further, being away at summer school is far more productive than what the average lazy ass American teen -- which is sit on their ass all summer, maybe scoop ice cream while texting.

That's lovely, but most of my students who did Harvard for summer actually believed they were going to be admitted to "real" Harvard because of the programs, and because of what the profs told them. Also, I can only conclude that grade inflation is rampant at the Harvard summer program because mediocre students I taught were given outrageously inflated evaluative feedback. It was NOT fair to do this to kids and their parents. For what it's worth, I live and teach in Europe, so many of these families were not American and they (and their kids) truly believed the students were going to be admitted as Harvard freshmen. The admin/PR for the Harvard summer school does nothing to discourage this delusion. I currently have four academically mediocre students who are convinced they will be receiving acceptance letters to Harvard in the near future, and they will all be crushed when they receive the rejections. I see this every year.

Well they must be stupid to make this assumption. The teachers of their summer programs are not admissions people, and you should be able to point that out to your students and their parents.

[Anonymous]

I think it is hilarious that people think they can buy their way into a college by shelling out money for a summer program. My son will be attending a summer program at Brown. He will probably apply to Brown as well, but we are sane enough to know that attendance to these programs have absolutely nothing to do with chances of admission...I repeat...not one iota!! Plus the program he is going to has nothing to do with what he will most likely major in..it is just something he enjoys and wants to learn more about. We are working with a college counselor who also stressed this to us. DS is very interested in the subject matter in this particular course and wants to have a few weeks away from home. He is also a big New England Patriots fan, so he will feel right at home up there in New England. I hope he has a great experience, but in no way am I pinning my hopes for admission based on his attendance.

[Anonymous]

I know one kid out of many who partook in one of these programs who was able to parlay it into admissions. He did a summer math program at Princeton. Impressed a prof and developed a good report. He got in early action and readily states it is because this prof went to bat for him. However, this is the exception rather than the rule. These programs, like overseas vaca-missions trips are generally viewed as rich kid resume padding.

[Anonymous]

Off the top of my head, summer ... attending:

- Penn ... Penn.
- Brown ... Columbia.
- Harvard ... Duke.
- Harvard ... Cornell.
- Brown ... NYU.
- Brown ... Brown.

Fun, interesting, meeting kids from all over the world, making life-long friends. Boarding for 4-8 weeks as a teen cultivates intense friendships.

[Anonymous]

Most are just too expensive. Read college confidential on the precise program to get a feel. Most posting participants will tell you it's a waste of money to throw $13 at the Stanford or Harvard program because only one will get in. Unless, you have money to throw around and you want your kid on the campus for a few weeks.

[Anonymous]

I went to Harvard summer school 30 years ago and had a blast. I didn't get into Harvard but no regrets. I'd never pay $13k to send my kids now. Total boondoggle.

[Anonymous]

I went to one at AU (think it was AU) many years ago when I was 16/17 and loved it. I cannot imagine it was that expensive when I went.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not for admissions hooks, just overall, do they benefit teens?

OP smartly asked the right question. The rigorous, academic three week Summer at Brown class was really a transformative experience for our DC. DC was a very academically-oriented smart kid in a wonderful high school but few of his friends shared his intense academic interests. At Brown, he met a cohort of more similar kids from different states and a few other countries - he stays in touch with a couple still . He had the experience of living in a dorm room, going to a dining halll, and juggling a Challenging work load balance against social interests. As a very strong student, he had never before reallly had to be efficient - learn enough to grasp a subject without reading every word of an assignment every time . That may sound like an odd lesson to tout but it was a useful life skill. The level of intellectual engagement and debate in class was far greater than he had experienced up to that point. The course was taught by the Chairman of the department at Brown, and the TA took the time to really critique the first two of the three required papers DC wrote. This was a class designed for high school students but taught on a college level. We did not want him to take a summer class for college credit - that would have added more grading pressure and distracted from the overall experience. When we picked him up after three weeks, DC said it was the best summer experience he's ever had and that he'd never made so many friends so quickly. After Brown, he felt more strongly and we - as parents -- felt more comfortable that he could thrive at a very selective university and not feel diminished by being one of the pack when surrounded by so many equally smart kids. To our surprise, he was able to distinguish between the summer program and what he learned about the school, and decided not to apply to Brown. He ended up at a different ivy where he has done very well.

Yes, it was expensive. Was it with it? For us, absolutely. But, if I had to borrow or dip into his college or our retirement fund to pay for it, he would not have gone. That would have been a shame, but that's life. My parents could have never sent me to such as program and i obviously found a different way to land a career enabling my DC to have this other option. He would have done fine without it. But the experience taught him a lot and taught us a lot about him, enabling all of us to make more informed decisions about college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not for admissions hooks, just overall, do they benefit teens?

OP smartly asked the right question. The rigorous, academic three week Summer at Brown class was really a transformative experience for our DC. DC was a very academically-oriented smart kid in a wonderful high school but few of his friends shared his intense academic interests. At Brown, he met a cohort of more similar kids from different states and a few other countries - he stays in touch with a couple still . He had the experience of living in a dorm room, going to a dining halll, and juggling a Challenging work load balance against social interests. As a very strong student, he had never before reallly had to be efficient - learn enough to grasp a subject without reading every word of an assignment every time . That may sound like an odd lesson to tout but it was a useful life skill. The level of intellectual engagement and debate in class was far greater than he had experienced up to that point. The course was taught by the Chairman of the department at Brown, and the TA took the time to really critique the first two of the three required papers DC wrote. This was a class designed for high school students but taught on a college level. We did not want him to take a summer class for college credit - that would have added more grading pressure and distracted from the overall experience. When we picked him up after three weeks, DC said it was the best summer experience he's ever had and that he'd never made so many friends so quickly. After Brown, he felt more strongly and we - as parents -- felt more comfortable that he could thrive at a very selective university and not feel diminished by being one of the pack when surrounded by so many equally smart kids. To our surprise, he was able to distinguish between the summer program and what he learned about the school, and decided not to apply to Brown. He ended up at a different ivy where he has done very well.

Yes, it was expensive. Was it with it? For us, absolutely. But, if I had to borrow or dip into his college or our retirement fund to pay for it, he would not have gone. That would have been a shame, but that's life. My parents could have never sent me to such as program and i obviously found a different way to land a career enabling my DC to have this other option. He would have done fine without it. But the experience taught him a lot and taught us a lot about him, enabling all of us to make more informed decisions about college.

thanks for posting. what year(s) did your (or other parents) child do this, or would you recommend it be considered?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not for admissions hooks, just overall, do they benefit teens?

OP smartly asked the right question. The rigorous, academic three week Summer at Brown class was really a transformative experience for our DC. DC was a very academically-oriented smart kid in a wonderful high school but few of his friends shared his intense academic interests. At Brown, he met a cohort of more similar kids from different states and a few other countries - he stays in touch with a couple still . He had the experience of living in a dorm room, going to a dining halll, and juggling a Challenging work load balance against social interests. As a very strong student, he had never before reallly had to be efficient - learn enough to grasp a subject without reading every word of an assignment every time . That may sound like an odd lesson to tout but it was a useful life skill. The level of intellectual engagement and debate in class was far greater than he had experienced up to that point. The course was taught by the Chairman of the department at Brown, and the TA took the time to really critique the first two of the three required papers DC wrote. This was a class designed for high school students but taught on a college level. We did not want him to take a summer class for college credit - that would have added more grading pressure and distracted from the overall experience. When we picked him up after three weeks, DC said it was the best summer experience he's ever had and that he'd never made so many friends so quickly. After Brown, he felt more strongly and we - as parents -- felt more comfortable that he could thrive at a very selective university and not feel diminished by being one of the pack when surrounded by so many equally smart kids. To our surprise, he was able to distinguish between the summer program and what he learned about the school, and decided not to apply to Brown. He ended up at a different ivy where he has done very well.

Yes, it was expensive. Was it with it? For us, absolutely. But, if I had to borrow or dip into his college or our retirement fund to pay for it, he would not have gone. That would have been a shame, but that's life. My parents could have never sent me to such as program and i obviously found a different way to land a career enabling my DC to have this other option. He would have done fine without it. But the experience taught him a lot and taught us a lot about him, enabling all of us to make more informed decisions about college.

thanks for posting. what year(s) did your (or other parents) child do this, or would you recommend it be considered?

We had similar expectations and experience as pp. DD did summer university for credit at Hopkins, loved it. it was under 4k, I believe. Wonderful experience that also gave me a baseline for her future academic abilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Off the top of my head, summer ... attending:

- Penn ... Penn.
- Brown ... Columbia.
- Harvard ... Duke.
- Harvard ... Cornell.
- Brown ... NYU.
- Brown ... Brown.

Fun, interesting, meeting kids from all over the world, making life-long friends. Boarding for 4-8 weeks as a teen cultivates intense friendships.

Mine did the Yale Young Global Scholars program and loved it! Attending a different ivy, but these programs also help students to discover their proposed majors better, and to write their Why [insert school] essays.

[Anonymous]

I know a few Notre Dame students that did selective programs offered there. And I know a young man at Yale who did a summer program at Northwestern. But anywhere thinking they're a hook is mistaken, it's just a good experience. Honestly, at DC's school it seems you'd be in the minority if you're NOT doing at least a 2 week summer program. Teens don't need 12 weeks off in the summer sitting on their butt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not for admissions hooks, just overall, do they benefit teens?

OP smartly asked the right question. The rigorous, academic three week Summer at Brown class was really a transformative experience for our DC. DC was a very academically-oriented smart kid in a wonderful high school but few of his friends shared his intense academic interests. At Brown, he met a cohort of more similar kids from different states and a few other countries - he stays in touch with a couple still . He had the experience of living in a dorm room, going to a dining halll, and juggling a Challenging work load balance against social interests. As a very strong student, he had never before reallly had to be efficient - learn enough to grasp a subject without reading every word of an assignment every time . That may sound like an odd lesson to tout but it was a useful life skill. The level of intellectual engagement and debate in class was far greater than he had experienced up to that point. The course was taught by the Chairman of the department at Brown, and the TA took the time to really critique the first two of the three required papers DC wrote. This was a class designed for high school students but taught on a college level. We did not want him to take a summer class for college credit - that would have added more grading pressure and distracted from the overall experience. When we picked him up after three weeks, DC said it was the best summer experience he's ever had and that he'd never made so many friends so quickly. After Brown, he felt more strongly and we - as parents -- felt more comfortable that he could thrive at a very selective university and not feel diminished by being one of the pack when surrounded by so many equally smart kids. To our surprise, he was able to distinguish between the summer program and what he learned about the school, and decided not to apply to Brown. He ended up at a different ivy where he has done very well.

Yes, it was expensive. Was it with it? For us, absolutely. But, if I had to borrow or dip into his college or our retirement fund to pay for it, he would not have gone. That would have been a shame, but that's life. My parents could have never sent me to such as program and i obviously found a different way to land a career enabling my DC to have this other option. He would have done fine without it. But the experience taught him a lot and taught us a lot about him, enabling all of us to make more informed decisions about college.

thanks for posting. what year(s) did your (or other parents) child do this, or would you recommend it be considered?

DC did it between junior and senior year of high school. That is when most of the kids there did it, but there were some who were just rising juniors. Brown gave a lot of independence to the kids. I don't think our DC (or we) would have felt comfortable with DC in Providence with little supervision as a rising junior, but we were comfortable as a rising senior. I also don't think DC wanted to necessarily work as hard for three weeks as a rising junior. But as a rising senior, DC was very motivated by the college application process coming up (he actually did a second, very different, activity that same summer). I should add that I don't think all programs at Brown are similar. Some seem more exploratory and fun, but less academically rigorous. I think of the summers as showing some sort of progression. If you do something great before junior year and just chill by the pool before senior year, I think it raises questions. We tried to have our DC do something interesting/productive each summer for at least a few weeks. BTW, our second child did not do one of these programs -- he had other passions that he followed. In some ways I wish he had because I think the experience will help in college, but we'll find out next year. It didn't make any difference in college acceptances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Off the top of my head, summer ... attending:

- Penn ... Penn.
- Brown ... Columbia.
- Harvard ... Duke.
- Harvard ... Cornell.
- Brown ... NYU.
- Brown ... Brown.

Fun, interesting, meeting kids from all over the world, making life-long friends. Boarding for 4-8 weeks as a teen cultivates intense friendships.

Mine did the Yale Young Global Scholars program and loved it! Attending a different ivy, but these programs also help students to discover their proposed majors better, and to write their Why [insert school] essays.

Agree. Mine was wait listed for the Global Scholars Program so did a summer at a different ivy instead. Loved his summer program, but ended up attending Yale undergrad.