How much do college summer programs help with admissions?

[Anonymous]

OP: There are definitely summer programs that help with admissions. As I wrote on page 2, ours received very strong & specific support for two Ivies from his two professors at the summer program. They were both regular Ivy profs at that school. Also offered to write recs for a similar program at a second Ivy because it was stronger than their school's program. Did not take advantage because ours had several offers early in the process.

I can assure you that several schools do count summer session attendance as a sign of interest.

OP: Do you have any particular schools in mind besides Ivies or Stanford & MIT ?

[Anonymous]

Which schools do the above? (See attendance as indicated interest?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None. Zip. Zero.

Really, they do not help one bit. They are a money grab.

There is one program that I KNOW makes a difference in admissions (at least for ED applicants at that school) and that is Davidson College's July Experience taught by full time Davidson professors. My D attended when it was last held pre-pandemic and along with 6 others who roomed in her dorm floor alone were admitted ED or ED2. She knows at least 15 others who attended and are now classmates at Davidson She was told by one of the student counselors that the admissions rate for successful July Experience attendees is around 80% (vs. 17% rate overall). Just don't take this anonymous poster's word for it. Jeff Selingo in his book Who Gets in and Why mentions the program being a deciding factor in an applicant's admission. The applicant previously was on the cusp of being denied before it was noted that the applicant attended JE. It was a great experience for my child and a life changing one at that now that she's happily a student there.

My DS is interested in this program, regardless of whether it provides an admission boost, but I wonder if it’s been cancelled, it didn’t happen last summer and there’s no info about this year.

Davidson as a campus has been back to normal since classes started back up in August. I'd expect them to reinstate the program this summer. I'd contact the admissions office and inquire or email: [e-mail].

[Anonymous]

My twins did a summer program at UVA. I thought they would fall in love with the campus etc. while there and want to apply.

Big backfire!!!

After their experience there they hated it and refused to apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My twins did a summer program at UVA. I thought they would fall in love with the campus etc. while there and want to apply.

Big backfire!!!

After their experience there they hated it and refused to apply.

In a way that is a win. Better to not apply then get there and hate it and end up transferring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: There are definitely summer programs that help with admissions. As I wrote on page 2, ours received very strong & specific support for two Ivies from his two professors at the summer program. They were both regular Ivy profs at that school. Also offered to write recs for a similar program at a second Ivy because it was stronger than their school's program. Did not take advantage because ours had several offers early in the process.

I can assure you that several schools do count summer session attendance as a sign of interest.

OP: Do you have any particular schools in mind besides Ivies or Stanford & MIT ?

Could you name the program? It seems like some programs are total cash-grabs, others like RSI and MOSP are totally legit and impressive, and some like yours are what you make of them but give students a chance or impress professors who can influence the admissions process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can assure you that several schools do count summer session attendance as a sign of interest.

Instead of "assuring" and sending people looking for the needle in a haystack, can you mention them?

Honestly, if you don't, the reasonable assumption is you can't. I would sincerely love to be proved wrong here.

[Anonymous]

+1.

Seems odd to count on that as a sign of interest, particularly in a world of ED. If you apply ED, you are interested but so is the rest of the pool. If you went to the summer program but did not apply ED, it is not going to help.

Of course, not all schools are ED or SCEA but most of the programs mentioned in this thread are at schools with that option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can assure you that several schools do count summer session attendance as a sign of interest.

Instead of "assuring" and sending people looking for the needle in a haystack, can you mention them?

Honestly, if you don't, the reasonable assumption is you can't. I would sincerely love to be proved wrong here.

Not "a needle in a haystack". Some schools consider & value demonstrated interest, while others do not. Name a school and research it or I will do so. There are many that do count demonstrated interest--especially LACs.

Also, there are summer programs which often result in offers of admission, but may require an ED app. (An example would be Notre Dame's young leaders program. Not everyone accepted, however, but almost all who attended were offered admission if they applied to ND. Pre-covid info.)

ED is the strongest type of "demonstrated interest".

Again, name a school of interest & research it. I will try as well.

Do not attend a summer program because the demonstrated interest aspect unless you are truly interested in attending that school.

For the most part, ultra-competitive admissions schools are unlikely to fall into this category.

Two years ago, Wesleyan University had a 61% acceptance rate for ED 1. Last year it dropped to 41%. Demonstrated interest is most likely important to this school.

If you need a starting point, look at schools with a low yield rate. Yield is relative to there overlap schools.

Believe it or not, actually considered at many law schools as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can assure you that several schools do count summer session attendance as a sign of interest.

Instead of "assuring" and sending people looking for the needle in a haystack, can you mention them?

Honestly, if you don't, the reasonable assumption is you can't. I would sincerely love to be proved wrong here.

Not "a needle in a haystack". Some schools consider & value demonstrated interest, while others do not. Name a school and research it or I will do so. There are many that do count demonstrated interest--especially LACs.

Also, there are summer programs which often result in offers of admission, but may require an ED app. (An example would be Notre Dame's young leaders program. Not everyone accepted, however, but almost all who attended were offered admission if they applied to ND. Pre-covid info.)

ED is the strongest type of "demonstrated interest".

Again, name a school of interest & research it. I will try as well.

Do not attend a summer program because the demonstrated interest aspect unless you are truly interested in attending that school.

For the most part, ultra-competitive admissions schools are unlikely to fall into this category.

Two years ago, Wesleyan University had a 61% acceptance rate for ED 1. Last year it dropped to 41%. Demonstrated interest is most likely important to this school.

If you need a starting point, look at schools with a low yield rate. Yield is relative to there overlap schools.

Believe it or not, actually considered at many law schools as well.

As I suspected. The question isn't about demonstrated interest, that is a question on every CDS on the planet. It is about paid summer programs and if they help with admissions. The overwhelming opinion is that they do not.

If you know of a school where you can show that they do help, please mention it here:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: There are definitely summer programs that help with admissions. As I wrote on page 2, ours received very strong & specific support for two Ivies from his two professors at the summer program. They were both regular Ivy profs at that school. Also offered to write recs for a similar program at a second Ivy because it was stronger than their school's program. Did not take advantage because ours had several offers early in the process.

I can assure you that several schools do count summer session attendance as a sign of interest.

OP: Do you have any particular schools in mind besides Ivies or Stanford & MIT ?

This is OP. I never said I was looking at Stanford or MIT and am not interested in those. My kids are likely not headed to those schools (or that tier) and I was actually looking at the RISD program for one (which someone responded about) and then got to wondering more generally about the value beyond the obvious (the kid gets to see what it is like and form an opinion).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: There are definitely summer programs that help with admissions. As I wrote on page 2, ours received very strong & specific support for two Ivies from his two professors at the summer program. They were both regular Ivy profs at that school. Also offered to write recs for a similar program at a second Ivy because it was stronger than their school's program. Did not take advantage because ours had several offers early in the process.

I can assure you that several schools do count summer session attendance as a sign of interest.

OP: Do you have any particular schools in mind besides Ivies or Stanford & MIT ?

This is OP. I never said I was looking at Stanford or MIT and am not interested in those. My kids are likely not headed to those schools (or that tier) and I was actually looking at the RISD program for one (which someone responded about) and then got to wondering more generally about the value beyond the obvious (the kid gets to see what it is like and form an opinion).

I have kids who have done summer RISD programs but not that big one which I think you're referring to - the one which is definitely designed to attract serious applicants later on, and is expensive. I think it's very likely worth doing, for your kid to find out what it's like there, and for them to get a chance to shine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can assure you that several schools do count summer session attendance as a sign of interest.

Instead of "assuring" and sending people looking for the needle in a haystack, can you mention them?

Honestly, if you don't, the reasonable assumption is you can't. I would sincerely love to be proved wrong here.

Not "a needle in a haystack". Some schools consider & value demonstrated interest, while others do not. Name a school and research it or I will do so. There are many that do count demonstrated interest--especially LACs.

Also, there are summer programs which often result in offers of admission, but may require an ED app. (An example would be Notre Dame's young leaders program. Not everyone accepted, however, but almost all who attended were offered admission if they applied to ND. Pre-covid info.)

ED is the strongest type of "demonstrated interest".

Again, name a school of interest & research it. I will try as well.

Do not attend a summer program because the demonstrated interest aspect unless you are truly interested in attending that school.

For the most part, ultra-competitive admissions schools are unlikely to fall into this category.

Two years ago, Wesleyan University had a 61% acceptance rate for ED 1. Last year it dropped to 41%. Demonstrated interest is most likely important to this school.

If you need a starting point, look at schools with a low yield rate. Yield is relative to there overlap schools.

Believe it or not, actually considered at many law schools as well.

As I suspected. The question isn't about demonstrated interest, that is a question on every CDS on the planet. It is about paid summer programs and if they help with admissions. The overwhelming opinion is that they do not.

If you know of a school where you can show that they do help, please mention it here:

You are partially incorrect. I gave examples and agree with the earlier example re: Northwestern Cherubs.

As you suspect, is not the right way to approach this. The majority of on-campus summer programs will help with admissions. Just don't expect it to at Brown or Stanford or Harvard unless you make a connection with profs based on talent,abilities, or otherwise. Certainly worked for us at multiple super elite schools.

I do know of many schools, but you do not seem to want to help yourself in this regard.

As for demonstrated interest, yes it is a strong indicator which can be combined with specifics about the particular school which should make one's app get noticed. It may require applying ED, EA, SCEA, but it will help.

If you are expecting automatic admission to a school because you attended the school's summer program, it won't happen in the vast majority of cases. There were, and may still be, summer programs for disadvantaged that do act as prequalifiers, however.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can assure you that several schools do count summer session attendance as a sign of interest.

Instead of "assuring" and sending people looking for the needle in a haystack, can you mention them?

Honestly, if you don't, the reasonable assumption is you can't. I would sincerely love to be proved wrong here.

Not "a needle in a haystack". Some schools consider & value demonstrated interest, while others do not. Name a school and research it or I will do so. There are many that do count demonstrated interest--especially LACs.

Also, there are summer programs which often result in offers of admission, but may require an ED app. (An example would be Notre Dame's young leaders program. Not everyone accepted, however, but almost all who attended were offered admission if they applied to ND. Pre-covid info.)

ED is the strongest type of "demonstrated interest".

Again, name a school of interest & research it. I will try as well.

Do not attend a summer program because the demonstrated interest aspect unless you are truly interested in attending that school.

For the most part, ultra-competitive admissions schools are unlikely to fall into this category.

Two years ago, Wesleyan University had a 61% acceptance rate for ED 1. Last year it dropped to 41%. Demonstrated interest is most likely important to this school.

If you need a starting point, look at schools with a low yield rate. Yield is relative to there overlap schools.

Believe it or not, actually considered at many law schools as well.

As I suspected. The question isn't about demonstrated interest, that is a question on every CDS on the planet. It is about paid summer programs and if they help with admissions. The overwhelming opinion is that they do not.

If you know of a school where you can show that they do help, please mention it here:

And, if I may make a suggestion, the tone of your writing will not help your case.

[Anonymous]

Attending a summer program at College A can be a signal to other colleges that you prefer College A. Really can hurt admissions.
Other benefits for sure to some summer programs. Especially the truly serious writing programs etc. Benefits mostly in terms of kids who just get a lot out of them.
Most are pay to play