Recommendation letters, pages of “Why us?” essays and Googling acceptance rates — college application season must be right around the corner. But it’s not fall, it’s winter, and it’s not just seniors glued to their computers, frantically typing out essays; it’s juniors panicking over their summer plans.
Since summer programs have risen to ascendancy in the past few decades (with more than half of the institutions offering these programs increasing the number of programs in the past few years), students have been spending less of their junior year winter break relaxing and more of it writing summer program application essays. From Michigan Institute of Technology’s highly-selective introduction to science, technology and engineering course to Stanford’s array of summer sessions, a subset of elite programs have gained a new level of prestige among high-achieving high school students.
From what I’ve observed as a high school student in the Bay Area, there are three primary types of summer programs: pre-college programs, summer courses and general summer programs, not tied to a college or university. Pre-college programs are offered by a university and are intended to help streamline students’ transition into college. Summer courses are single, occasionally for-credit college classes, typically available to high school and college students. Summer courses are less structured, offering both in-person and remote options. Other summer programs can be more general, focusing on learning a specific subject, volunteering, studying abroad or gaining work experience.
Ultra-prestigious summer programs, such as MIT’s Research Science Institute, are known for their low acceptance rates — in RSI’s case, accepting 80 students per year out of over 1,000 applicants. Summer programs’ exclusivity is a large portion of their draw, according to an anonymous user on College Confidential, an online forum related to college admissions.
“All of the competitive programs that I’m talking about have thousands of applicants,” the user said. “That’s the point. The process looks a lot like college admissions to the elites.”
The popularity of summer programs is exemplified by the amount of United States colleges that offer them. 82% of college institutions reported having pre-college programs, according to a 2018 survey by The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions. 14% of the surveyed institutions offered 10 or more distinctly-named summer programs. For many students in my area (and, most likely, across the country), seeing the words “pre-college program” have the most meaning when they’re tagged onto an elite, impossibly-selective university.
However, in my own experience, not every student is only attracted to low acceptance rates: Some students are able to find value in simply learning, without needing to write multiple application essays or construct an immersive-yet-simplistic introduction video. University of California, Los Angeles offers a plethora of summer courses, both residential and online programs, covering a wide range of subjects. Suzie Mondragon, a Palo Alto High junior who took a remote summer course at the university in 2024, believes that one disadvantage to all summer programs is their hindrance of students’ ability to discover their individual interests. Summers are a time when teenagers could spend time focusing on things they like to do outside of academics, Mondragon said.
As some teenagers grow disillusioned with the idea of having a summer free of academic rigor, one aspect of summer programs seems to slip under the radar: their cost. The price of a four-week pre-college program at Brown University is $6,291 and, for a seven-week secondary school program at Harvard University, attendees can expect to spend $11,320, according to a 2015 article from Forbes. Over the course of one summer, these high price tags can rake in millions of dollars in revenue for the universities that offer them, says a 2020 CBS News article.
The cost of summer programs, which may be an inconvenience for some or a complete deterrent to others, illuminates one grand issue that few summer programs thoroughly address: equity. Though financial aid at summer programs is an option — and some are completely free — a large proportion of these programs are inaccessible to certain students who would otherwise love to attend. Yes, scholarships are available, but they are limited, providing students with more resources yet another advantage over students who are unable to afford summer programs.
Interestingly, there are some diamonds in the rough: University of Indiana’s Women’s Leadership Institute, a one-day pre-college program, and Telluride Association Summer Seminar, a six-week highly-rigorous all-around education program, are both completely free to those who are accepted. However, there’s a bit of a catch — both of these programs are considered selective.
Despite some of their (glaring) flaws, summer programs can leave a lasting positive impact on students who attend them. Mondragon took a course on astronomy during her online summer sessions with UCLA — a unique, interest-oriented course she says she would never have taken if it weren’t for the existence of summer programs.
Aside from broadening one’s education, Palo Alto High junior Talia Boneh says her experience taking an art program at Washington University at St. Louis allowed her to get a feel for what college life might be like. This preview helped her narrow down her scope of the future and pinpoint what she may want to study; due to the program’s intensity, she realized that having a good balance between rigorous and more straightforward courses is key for her future college experience, she says.
Outside of the pre-college programs offered by colleges and universities, there are more unique, tailored options for students to explore. While many students are drawn to attend pre-college programs or take summer courses due to the university that offers them, other summer programs can focus on one or two niche skills. My experience at a two-week journalism camp, the School of the New York Times Summer Academy, allowed me to build my love for journalism while exploring the city, learning the ins-and-outs of interviewing people in a way that even a standard pre-college program in a classroom would never have been able to teach me.
Similarly to what I’ve experienced, Palo Alto High junior Alice Sheffer believes that her aptitude for writing was improved by the several summers she spent at Interlochen Arts Camp, a three-week long program dedicated to creative writing. For Sheffer, her experience at Interlochen Arts Camp has built up her experience and knowledge on creative writing, some of which she applies to her work on Palo Alto High’s C Magazine today.
Sheffer also participated in one of the Council of International Educational Exchange’s study abroad programs in France in 2024. Programs like CIEE offer students a chance to participate in service or full-time internships in 29 countries across the globe. For Sheffer, a student enrolled in Advancement Placement French Language and Culture, her experience at a CIEE program based in Rennes, France set her up for success to continue studying French.
For so many people, summer programs have been pivotal moments in developing individual identities. Attendees are able to meet a motley crew of students from multiple states and countries that, otherwise, they would never visit. Confused teenagers are able to pinpoint exactly what appeals to them. Most importantly, though, teenagers are able to learn about things they want to learn — something modern high schools don’t always allow. This is exactly what summer programs have allowed me to do: find a clearer path in an otherwise impossibly-confusing world.
