<p>I am looking for something to do this summer. I want it to be educational, but it doesnt need to be too prestigious. I dont think I could get into one of those insane ones, (GPA: 3.5, PSATS: 204), but I want something to do. Also I am not interested in one of those ones that costs $5000+ for 2 weeks, although cost isnt that much of an issue, that is ridiculous.</p>
<p>Oops, I forgot to mention im interested in politics and international relations</p>
<p>here’s a link u can peruse</p>
<p>[Cogito</a> - Programs - Summer Programs](<a href=“http://www.cogito.org/Programs/programslist.aspx?summerprograms]Cogito”>http://www.cogito.org/Programs/programslist.aspx?summerprograms)</p>
<p>Since youre interested in international relations and money isn’t an issue, why don’t you travel to another country, and do community service in that country or something.</p>
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<p>Are there any programs to help organize this?</p>
<p>tons of programs for that – check out AFS, Putney Student Travel and Projects Abroad for just a few. All three have good reputations (not all companies deliver what they promise).</p>
<p>My son did the summer program in Egypt with AFS – fantastic experience!</p>
<p>Have you taken a look at the Oxbridge programs in England – they are great! And you would be able to get in.</p>
<p>Also – Brown university has a 6-8 week program that is excellent, you might check it out.</p>
<p>LeadAmerica!</p>
<p>It has wonderful programs in all different areas, it’s about $2500 or so (without airfare) for a 10-day conference…I don’t know about the other ones (there are also some longer conferences).</p>
<p>They do conferences abroad also. I’d highly encourage you to look into LeadAmerica. It was the best ten days of my life.</p>
<p>lead-america.org</p>
<p>How is the workload in LeadAmerica? On their website they say they devote multiple hours of the day to homework…</p>
<p>It’s not heavy at all.</p>
<p>Let me explain what they mean by “homework”.</p>
<p>I attended the 10-day conference devoted to Crime Scene Investigation. The night we got there, a murder was staged. We had the rest of the 10 days to figure out what had happened. This included interviewing “witnesses” to the crimes, investigating the crime scene, etc.</p>
<p>We also attended lectures on the various areas of forensic science.</p>
<p>I don’t know about the travel abroad ones, but I think what I described is fairly common for the 10-day conferences.</p>
<p>Hey! </p>
<p>I’ve been to two GREAT programs. If you’re interested in politics (or even haven’t got a clue about it like me) try JSA. I took Foreign Policy and Honors Speech Communication. It was an amazing experience because I really learned to challenge my mind. Your way of thinking will change after this experience. It’s very intense but you will learn some great things at this camp. Great professors—especially for FP. Duration is about 4 weeks (1 month) for about 4,000 although you can get some scholarship money.</p>
<p>YFU (youth for understanding) has also been great. Although it’s 5,000 +, it’s for 2 months in a foreign country including airfare, stay, food, etc. I thought it was WELL worth the money. I stayed in Japan with a host family, attended a local high school and have made friends that still stay in touch with me. In fact, one sent me a christmas card this past week. You learn so much about yourself, other cultures, about independence. It’s priceless—consider this program because it’s really really really worth your money. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>