Looking for meaningful summer programs that don't cost a fortune.

rocketblues
Sun, 19 Apr 2009 02:24:02 +0000

Hmm… By “don’t require much,” how much are you willing to go? Around $2,000? And although there are quite a few programs whose deadlines are up, I can try recommending a few:

[Penn Engineering: Summer Academy in Applied Science and Technology (SAAST)](Summer Engineering Academy) – Deadline was March 25ish, but they’re still accepting applications and they have financial aid.

[High School Programs | College of Liberal and Professional Studies at The University of Pennsylvania](http://www.sas.upenn.edu/lps/highschool) – Rolling applications til May 1, but its $6,300 for the academies and the scholarship deadlines have already passed.

[UCLA Institutes and Special Programs](http://www.summer.ucla.edu/Institutes/GeneralInfo/highschool.htm) --That’s a list of UCLA courses that you can take over the summer

[Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation: A Summer Program for High School Students](http://engineering-innovation.jhu.edu/forms/) – Deadline is May 15, but I’m not sure how “decent” this looks on college apps

Right now, these are what I can think of at the moment that have deadlines that technically haven’t passed yet.

But if all else fails, there are always internships and jobs, which look grrrreat on college apps! Colleges are always interested in students who think of their futures and yadada. Personally, I think I’d go for the internship/job, because it shows colleges you’re pretty serious. Another option is taking community college classes over the summer if you have one or two nearby; that’s also good for apps. So if summer programs are a no go, you can seriously consider getting an internship, a job, AND take college level classes-- at the same time-- which is pretty nice. AND you can volunteer a bunch and get some extra hours in :)

Anyways, don’t let grades and etc bother you; I’m sure you’re a smart person, and smart people get places in life Good luck for the summer!