Hello! I’m a junior trying to figure out what to do with the summer before senior year – both from a college admissions standpoint and just a general life perspective. What I really want to do this summer is learn something, but it won’t hurt if it looks good on apps too.
I’ve received a lot of stuff inviting me to apply to various universities’ summer programs for highschoolers, but upon investigation it seems like they’re neither impressive on applications nor all that selective. Selectivity really matters to me: I’ve had bad experiences in the past signing up for summers courses which were billed as for “smart and curious kids” and seemed to have rigorous admissions processes but which, in reality, moved at a slow pace and were full of kids who didn’t want to be there.
My investigations have revealed a few camps which are truly selective, which has the win-win of looking great on college apps and, I hope, being genuinely interesting and challenging. My parents are really set on “Math Camp”; however, their application isn’t one which will highlight my strengths and I doubt I’ll get in. I was looking at TASP and MITES, both of which seem like the ideal program for me, but TASP isn’t running any courses that interest me this year and MITES begins during my school’s exam period 
I’ll probably apply to a few camps anyway, but my parents and I really don’t want to pay an enormous amount of money for an experience that won’t be truly enriching. I’m considering another option: essentially creating a personalized exploratory summer program for myself. Currently, my plans are based around architecture and Latin (two of my passions). I would volunteer with Habitat for Humanity for a couple weeks to see what modern-day practical architecture is like, then spend some time translating Latin architectural handbooks and finally, build several architectural models (I have experience with this) combining the Roman and modern styles. I think this would be awesome and really educational, but my parents don’t seem so certain (maybe they don’t think I can pull it off?)
Ultimately, my question is: if I could have gone to a selective summer program, but instead chose to spend the summer on my own pursuing the course I described above, would that cost me in the admissions process to top colleges? Since, just like every other applicant, I am probabilistically most likely to get rejected by selective summer programs, should I bite the bullet and pay for a less selective course which will still show that I’m interested in learning? I’m unsure of the best course of action and I’d appreciate your advice 
