I am a 9th grader who is doing high school online, and I am preparing for my extracurriculars now. One thing I wanted to participate in was the summer programs, and I am highly interested in Brown and Harvard’s program. The only problem is that I live in South Korea and I don’t have anyone living near those areas to drive me to the school. My parents are worried about my safety and offered to take a course online, is there any way this could cause me any harm or should I go with the online courses instead?
You’re in 9th grade - so these schools are very expensive.
They do have housing.
You might reach out and ask if they have a program where they get you at and take you back to the airport. Then it’s a question of - are you ok traveling alone and being away form home.
Going to these schools is not necessarily going to give you a leg up on admission there if that’s what you think.
Personally I wouldn’t send my 9th grade student around the world alone - so my student would find a local program (if they wanted in person) or online if you truly need Brown or Harvard - but is the expense worth it for online?
Obviously it’s a family call - but perhaps it’s best to wait a couple years til your’re older.
Best of luck.
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Any option that would allow you to spend your summer in the US would be of benefit to your English fluency (unless of course you are a native speaker of English already).
There are many options out there. It doesn’t have to be Brown or Harvard for summer school. I would recommend that you look for any way in which you can be in the US for the summer, all the better if you can take classes at any nearby college there.
It depends on which summer camp. A lot of Brown and Harvard summer camps are notorious for being nonselective or low quality.
Assuming that cost is not a concerning factor, you should love either program if you elect to attend in person.
Family member loved time spent at Harvard during a couple of summers. Lots of international students.
P.S. If I understand correctly, you are doing high school online in South Korea. Attending a program in person should help your social skills development.
I think it’s a good idea, but agree with others it might make sense to wait a year before joining an on-campus summer program. I think the minimum age for Harvard’s programs may be 16? My kids, who grew up in Japan, participated in both athletic and academic summer programs at universities in the US while they were in high school. I think it was helpful in understanding what college in the US might be like, etc. They didn’t travel on their own, but other students did, and I think the schools provided shuttles or other types of assistance getting from the airport to campus.
There are two airports that Brown students use. One is in Providence and the other is in Boston. The Providence airport is about 20 minutes from campus — an easy Uber or bus ride. Boston airport is about $100 Uber ride or you can take the train to campus, which lots and lots of students do. It’s pretty straightforward but might be a bit much for a young international student.
There are also private car services from Boston airport to Brown. They are a bit expensive but your parents might feel more secure with them. If you would like their contact, let me know and I will DM you.
This is all if Brown doesn’t provide rides for the students, which they might.