Every spring, families spend thousands of dollars on summer programs at famous universities, often assuming that a prestigious name on a certificate will carry weight in admissions. A university name does not, by itself, create an admissions advantage. Stanford states that it has no preference for students who attend its summer programs, and Yale admissions officers have said their own summer programs are not a feeder into the admissions process. The name or price of a program tells a college much less than the work a student did there.
That does not make summer programs a poor choice. The right program, picked for the right reasons, can be one of the most valuable things a student does in high school. This guide explains how we advise families to judge a summer option and where a formal program fits among the alternatives.
What a Summer Can Show
Admissions officers see a student’s summers as part of the larger picture of how that student spends time outside the classroom. A summer spent going deeper into an academic or career interest can confirm that the interest runs deep, and it often produces the specifics that make essays and interviews convincing.
Summer also looks different from family to family. Paid work, caregiving, recovery from illness, transportation and cost all shape what is possible, and colleges review applications in that context. A formal program is not required. Work, family responsibilities, independent learning and rest can all be worthwhile uses of a summer.
Why We Stress Alignment
When a student does choose how to spend summer weeks, our strongest recommendation is to line those activities up with the academic and career interests the student will write about in applications. Activities that build on one another give admissions readers a clearer and more credible picture than the same weeks spread across unrelated commitments. A few examples:
- A student interested in business who takes a finance course, enters an entrepreneurship competition and works at a local business has experiences that connect to one another.
- A student interested in computer science who completes a programming course and then builds and publishes a small app has a finished product to show.
- A student interested in medicine who takes a biology course and volunteers in a hospital or senior center gains academic preparation along with exposure to a care setting, depending on the role.
- A student interested in journalism who attends a writing program and then publishes pieces locally has a portfolio of clips to share.
No single combination is required. Alignment works best when it grows out of what the student already does during the school year or fills a visible gap, such as taking a statistics course a high school does not offer. Students who have not settled on an interest can use summer to explore one or two fields seriously. Learning that a field is not a good fit is a useful outcome too.
One to Three Weeks Can Be Plenty
Many families assume a stronger summer means a fuller one. In our experience, a focused one- to three-week program is often enough, and shorter programs tend to cost less and fit more easily around jobs, family travel and sports. Some students will want a longer experience, such as a four- to seven-week credit-bearing session, a research program or a summer job, and that can make sense when the student is ready for it.
Beyond a program, we usually suggest adding one other activity, such as a job, a competition or a service commitment, rather than stacking several. Colleges do not set a required number of summer hours, but they do ask about the nature and duration of a student’s commitments. The Common App, for example, asks for hours per week and weeks per year for each activity. Depth and honest reporting count for more than filling every week, and students should still have time to rest and enjoy the summer.
Compare Programs on More Than Prestige
Program labels can mislead. A selective program can be expensive, a free program can come with eligibility limits, and a program on a famous campus may be run by an outside company. Rather than sorting programs into simple categories, compare them on the dimensions below.
| What to compare | Questions to ask |
| Academic content | How much time goes to instruction, labs, projects and feedback? Who teaches the courses? |
| Admissions process | Does the program review essays, transcripts or recommendations, or enroll anyone who meets basic requirements? |
| Credit and records | Is college credit awarded, by which institution, and is a transcript issued? Is the course graded? |
| Net cost | What is the price after financial aid, and does it include housing, meals and travel? |
| Length and schedule | How many weeks does it run, and does that fit work, family and other commitments? |
| Who runs it | Is the university itself teaching the program, or is a separate company renting space on campus? |
Many universities offer pre-college programs, and some are excellent. Ask how much of each day goes to instruction and feedback, while recognizing that living on a campus and joining a new community have value of their own. The program’s content should drive the decision.
Choose Credit When You Can
When the choice is between similar programs, we recommend the one that awards college credit. A challenging, graded college course can provide useful evidence of academic preparation, because it gives the student a concrete result to report, a grade earned in college-level work, and a chance to build a working relationship with a college instructor.
A few cautions apply. Check which institution awards the credit, whether an official transcript is issued, and how the course is graded. Some colleges, including Yale, require official transcripts for college courses taken during high school, and some, including Penn, do not award credit for that coursework. An instructor who knows the student’s work well may be able to write a strong recommendation where a college accepts additional letters, but a letter is never guaranteed, and a program should not be chosen for that reason. For exploration, research or creative work, a strong noncredit program may be the better fit.
Strong Alternatives to a Summer Program
A summer program is one good option, not the only one. Colleges care far more about what a student did and what came of it than about what a program cost.
Contests and Competitions
Competitions can offer a concrete challenge and, sometimes, outside recognition. Summer is a good time to prepare for school-year contests through organizations such as DECA, FBLA, HOSA and Science Olympiad. Winning is not required for the effort to be worthwhile.
A Job
Paid work shows responsibility and maturity, and colleges value it. A job connected to an interest is a bonus, but earning income and showing up reliably all summer carry weight on their own.
Family Responsibilities
Caring for siblings or relatives or helping with a family business is a serious commitment. Students can report it in their applications, and colleges consider it alongside other activities.
Service
Service counts most when it is sustained and meets a clear need in the community. It does not have to match an intended major, though it can. A student with relevant knowledge might help a library or nonprofit run a workshop under the guidance of its staff.
Independent Projects and Research
Starting a small business, building a product or completing a substantial project creates an opportunity to demonstrate initiative. Research comes in different forms, from a literature review to an independent study to mentored work with a scientist, so describe it accurately. Formal research and internship positions for high school students are limited. Students can look at structured programs or approach local organizations with a specific, realistic request, keeping in mind that age rules and available supervision vary.
Questions to Ask Before Committing
These questions can help families judge whether an option is a good fit. They are not a formula for admission.
- Does it connect to something the student wants to pursue or explore, or to a responsibility the student already has?
- Are the time commitment and total cost realistic once travel, financial aid, work, family needs and rest are factored in?
- What will the student do day to day, and what skills, feedback or responsibility will come from it?
- Who runs the program, and what credit or documentation does it award?
Planning for Next Summer
Start researching options in late summer or fall. Some selective programs close applications as early as December, while others open later or admit on a rolling basis, so check application, recommendation, financial aid and deposit deadlines separately. For a broader look at the options, see our list of the best summer programs for high school students. Families working with a College Transitions counselor can also build a summer plan around the student’s interests and circumstances.
