<p>Im currently facing a dilemma.Here’s the thing.
Last year I attended the Stanford EPGY summer program and had a great time.It really helped me define that stanford is my first choice.</p>
<p>This year I was accepted into the Cornell summer college and im wondering if I should attend.</p>
<p>If I dont attend the Cornell program I would spend the summer volunteering and investing in the stock market.I would also do more “personal things”,IOW I would do things that I absolutely love.</p>
<p>Could anyone give me some advice on whether I should attend the Cornell summer program or spend the summer doing other important things?</p>
<p>Would it seem redundant in my application for me to attend 2 summer programs or would it be better to have one summer program and another summer of “good things”?</p>
<p>oso, I would advise you to do whatever you prefer this summer, for this reason: summer programs at colleges generally don’t have much impact at all on admissions chances. (The exceptions are the summer programs that have challenging exams and other highly-selective criteria for admission.) The regular summer programs at colleges can be valuable in and of themselves and a lot of fun, and they might give you something to talk about in your “Why This College?” application essays, but as the colleges themselves will tell you, they aren’t feeders into the schools. Mainly they exist to keep the campuses operating at some capacity during the summer months.</p>
<p>attending a cornell summer programme is going to impress no one in an admissions capacity. spend the summer doing something you love.</p>
<p>and how are you planning to spend an entire summer ‘investing in the stock market’ and do you really intend to come away with a positive balance these days?</p>
<p>Well I got accepted into Stanford, and actually did both! I did summer schools, not at Stanford but at other universities, for two summers. But those same summers I also did internships as well. Summer programs are great and a lot of fun, but when it really makes a difference is if you have good relationships with your professors who can write good recommendation letters. The most important thing in an application is to set yourself apart and show how you’ve pursued your various interests…so if you do those “personal things”, make sure they stand out and that you’ve actually done good, tangible work there…and again, a rec letter is great from any source.
Still, if it’s possible, do both! :)</p>
<p>I also did both during my last two summers. I went to EPGY after sophomore year and went to a competitive state-wide program after junior year. Both summers, however, I also volunteered a lot with causes I was passionate about.</p>