I am interested in summer programs at universities for next summer. What are the best programs in the US?

Question

I am a sophomore and I want to get a head start. I live in the tri-state area and am interested in summer programs for high school students. Many colleges offer them but there are so many that I can not distinguish the good from the GREAT ones.

Answer 1

Since no one is touching this one, and I do feel like I can give you some help, I'll give it a stab:

As someone who has gone to two summer pre-college programs at extremely prestigious universities, I left feeling jaded and disappointed.  Looking back, the main thing I learned was that colleges are businesses-- there to make a buck.

I was surrounded by high school students, some super-bright and some just seemingly super-loaded with cash.  My dormmate at one of them ended up dropping a class because she couldn't handle it (and she got into a program at an Ivy?!) ; another student seemed way more focused on discussing the Gucci dress she wore once to a funeral than on her future major.

I also recall reading in both programs' paperwork that entry into these programs had absolutely no bearing upon possible admission to these colleges, and that credits wouldn't transfer.  Makes ya wanna think twice, doesn't it?

What I'm trying to say is this: if you're looking to summer pre-college programs to increase your chances of admission to a good college, I'd want to persuade you not to do it. You may be better off looking into summer internships, doing volunteer work, or anything else to beef up your extracurriculars.

However, if you're blessed with rich parents and just want to check a campus out for a few weeks, why not go to a program located on a campus where you might one day be taking classes?

In terms of recommendations for courses, I have two:

a)  Take what you enjoy, and do what you like.  There's no reason to stress yourself out doing what you think people  want you to do, and anyway, courses you enjoy might teach you something about what you'd like to do for a future career.

b)  If you want to be competitive when it comes time to college, consider whether you'll be possibly looking into a math- or sciences- heavy program.  If you are, take some Chem, Physics, or other higher-level maths and sciences.