Should you do a Summer program from a prestigious university?

Does doing a Summer program from a prestigious university give you a boost in your college application ?

As the summer is approaching , high school students and their parents think about summer programs. There are a lot more Summer programs available in the last 4-5 years compared to earlier years. Many are available online as well. Now the question comes, Should a high school student do a summer program from a prestigious university ? 

Here we are going to discuss the topic.

It’s a fallacy to think that a summer program in a prestigious university means direct admission to that university or similar ones. You have to have the qualifying grades and all the admission criteria.

Here is the insight , Admission officers of the universities are very well aware that the many of these Summer programs conducted inside the Universities are actually run by outside companies. By doing so Universities get a good revenue by allowing the outside companies to run those programs when their facilities are under utilized due to less students . It is a win-win situation for Universities and outside companies, but it’s really important that you understand that for the most part attending one of these camps is not going to help you stand out .

Open enrollment in summer programs indicates 2 things either university needs more and more students to attend as they can in disguise advertise their campus and facilities. Secondly, they charge a fee for their otherwise underutilized facility. Both of these fail to impress the College Admission Officer as they know about such programs beforehand.  

However, there are some benefits of attending these Summer camps 

1. These programs often provide valuable learning and may teach the subject in depth. 
2. You will live a life which is similar to a college life, like utilizing college campus facilities i.e. library, laboratories ,cafeteria etc. 
3. You get to meet like minded peers which may help you build your network.
4. You get a chance to live in a dorm with other peers You may or may not like the campus or the university and might not even apply after doing a Summer camp or maybe you might like more than what you thought and maybe that university may climb a ladder in your list.
5. You may get to meet a college professor who may guide you later. 

There are some summer programs which are exceptions and give a boost on your college applications. Some of the summer programs’ acceptance rates are even less than the University acceptance rates, they are free many times and sometimes they even pay you a stipend . These programs receive a huge number of applications and are taught by college professors . If you get accepted into those kinds of programs then that definitely gives you an extra boost to your college application.