Why should I consider a pre-college program?
First, it’s important to keep in mind that there are many ways to gain meaningful experiences during your vacation: aside from a pre-college summer program, you could get a job, volunteer in your community, or continue to explore your extracurricular interests in sports, music, art, entrepreneurship, etc.
So let’s start with why you might choose to make a pre-college program the focus of your summer. Pre-college programs are a great way to gain direct experience with:
Living at a particular college/university—and in its city or town. This can help you gain a better sense of how you feel about college size, location, weather, and access to off-campus activities.
College classes taught by college professors in unique subject areas. There’s no better way to find out if you really want to study what you think you want to study than to—you guessed it—study it! And doing this in a college setting with college professors gives you a great trial run for what your college major could be like. It also allows you to explore subjects that may not be offered at your high school, such as film, medicine, or engineering.
What kinds of programs should I consider?
Yale University offers a selective summer program called Yale Young Global Scholars.
Any pre-college program can be additive to your college application, though some programs are regarded more highly than others. Classes taken for credit tend to make a stronger impact than non-credit classes due to the higher academic rigor involved. And, as with colleges and universities in general, programs with very low acceptance rates tend to be the most impressive.
Not all highly selective pre-college programs are offered at highly selective colleges, however (think Arizona State University’s Cronkite Summer Journalism Institute). Similarly, not all highly selective colleges offer highly selective pre-college programs (for example, Cornell University’s Precollege Studies).
For the high-achieving student eyeing top universities, you’ll want to narrow your focus to highly selective for-credit programs that will really stand out on your college application.
For most students, however, a pre-college program is less about getting into a top school and more about preparing for the college academic environment. It’s about helping you explore your interests so you can draw on those experiences when asked about your academic goals, readiness for college, or even your interest in a particular school. So focus on programs that will help you explore a potential major and a college or city/town you’re curious about.
I’d love to do a summer program—where can I start?
Research your options. There are many colleges and universities that offer excellent summer programs on their campuses, including Brown, Georgetown, NYU, UCLA, and dozens of others.
There are also programs that span multiple college campuses (such as Summer Discovery) or focus on leadership, career exploration, or adventure (like the National Student Leadership Conference or the National Outdoor Leadership School).
You can find all of these options and more on our Pre-College Summer Programs Resource Page.
Create a shortlist of programs you’re most interested in. Narrow your options by subject area, location, dates offered, and length of time for the program. A LogicPrep College Advisor can help you choose the best program for you and your goals.
Apply! Review the requirements and deadlines for each program to make sure you qualify and gather any additional materials you need.
Applications can vary from simple to extensive, but most require an application form, high school transcript, 1-2 letters of recommendation, and a short writing sample or essay. If your first language is not English, you’ll also likely need English proficiency scores from TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo.
For more help with choosing and applying to summer programs (or exploring other ways to make an impact this summer), consult with a LogicPrep College Advisor today.