I want to go to one of those summer programs at a prestigious university for college credit. Problem is, I hear a lot of them are just money sinks! Most of them are around $6k for 4 weeks and aren’t very “serious classes.” My friend who went to the Columbia program said it was a joke.
Are there any high school programs at universities that are a bit cheaper, and more legitimate/serious?
Also, which programs are just for fun/have a party rep?
My daughter took summer university classes at Hopkins for credit. Choose classes wisely. It was a great program in so many ways.
Maybe your friend didn’t take the class seriously. As with most things academic, you get out of it what you put into it. Also, I don’t think the ones at Columbia for HS students are for credit. Columbia is also expensive because it includes the cost of living in NYC.
If you want credit, most college and universities allow high school students to take regular undergraduate classes during the summer. Start with schools in your area. Commuting will make it cheaper. Some schools allow students over 16 to stay in the dorms if they are doing summer classes, so you can expand your search to something a bit further afield. Some states offer discounted tuition for HS students taking classes at public colleges and universities, if they are residents.
My kid went to Davidson THINK for two college courses in 3 weeks (you would have NO worries about the intensity of the experience). But know that most top colleges aren’t going to accept credits from any program anyway. Pick a summer program based on exploring a possible career interest or expanding on one of your ECs – it us a lot better use of your time.
Ole Miss has their summer college program. You take 2 classes with college students, so the classes are legit and should allow for credit afterwards. the best part is the cost–maximum of $2,000 for 4 weeks/6 credits, and way less depending on ACT. S16 went before his junior year and took intro to computer science and U.S. History, and with his sophomore year ACT score, only had to pay $1,000 for he 4 weeks-including room and board it he honors dorm. There are a few different focuses (engineering, computer science, etc), and some liberal arts classes as well. The kids are allowed to be “free range” outside of classes and scheduled activities, so they really get a feel for college life (on campus, anyway–and of course within limits–can’t go off campus, can’t go in other dorms, etc). S16 has done several college summer programs (UIUC, Auburn) and this was the best run because they give the kids some freedom. Auburn has some good programs but S was not even given a card key to access the dorm–they had a counselor escort the kids everywhere and he couldn’t even get to the fitness center to workout without a counselor. After the freedom of Ole Miss he was kind of miserable about it.
You can earn college credit at the Harvard Secondary School Program, which I hear is pretty good. But that program is super expensive ($11,500).
@s16s18s21s25 Thank you! That sounds like exactly the program I am looking for
My D is applying for Hopkins Summer University. There is a residential and commuter option. $850 per credit hour for commuter. Some courses are 3 credits and other mini term 1 credit. I agree use it to explore a major or to increase a strength. They have many courses that are exploration courses that would be great to test interest in a major. We are going the second route but there were so many options it was tough to choose.
@jupiter98 can you elaborate on choose courses wisely at Hopkins? Do you mean there are certain ones to avoid?
^^ you want to choose classes that are part of core curriculum. Those credits are likely to transfer to the institution you will attend
@s16s18s21s25 it’s been a while but just want to say thank you again; i went to the ole miss program this summer and it was a lot of fun 