<p>I have to defend CTY. Yes, CTY is expensive. As someone who has had a daughter participate for the past 4 summers in 5 courses, I can’t say for certain that it will help in the college admissions process. It has been a financial sacrifice to send her. However, I do know that it has allowed her to learn about subjects that are not offered in her high school and that in turn has allowed her to think seriously about what college would be best for her in terms of academic offerings. Is CTY something you can list on your application? Probably not. Does it help you learn about yourself and what your interests and objectives are? Do you meet great students from across the country? Yes to both. If you enjoy CTY, why not participate? Not everyone can participate in the “top tier” internships and programs–just like not everyone can go to Harvard- so to my way of thinking CTY provides an opportunity for students that probably wouldn’t get into all of these programs identified only by initials. There’s no one size fits all for summer programs.</p>