<p>Does anybody know some good summer programs that Harvard would like to see on a college resumee? (Business and Humanitarian programs would be preferred but I’m open to all suggestions)</p>
<p>TASP
Good luck! It’s a lot of work.</p>
<p>Harvard wants students to find meaningful summer experiences whether they be programs or jobs stocking the shelf at Walmart. Your asking this question belies the mercenary spirit that Harvard isn’t looking for, to be blunt.</p>
<p>What I’m saying is this: the viable HYP applicant isn’t some kid who looks for the path to HYP. He or She is who he or she is – not focused on some school but focused on overall excellence. You don’t do things to become a viable HYP applicant. You** become** a viable HYP applicant. And this isn’t a subtle difference.</p>
<p>A couple I’ve been involved in were scholarships through the Department of State- both hugely rewarding and insanely fun. The Okinawa Peace Scholarship is processed through Youth For Understanding and consists of a two-month foreign exchange in Japan. The Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic is a month-long institute on transatlantic relations with forty-one European students (from literally every corner of the continent- as it happens, the Spanish kids invariably bring the party ;D) and eleven American students. We got to travel all over the Eastern seaboard; Washington DC and Philadelphia this year, NY in years past.
You can always google them for more info, but I would highly recommend either. Very cost-effective (BFTF is free and offers a stipend, for instance; Okinawa cuts $6000 out of an $8000 program’s cost) and unforgettable.</p>
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<p>Well T26E4 I believe that Harvard would be very satisfied knowing that people are interested and fascinated by their school. I just don’t want to spend 1000s of dollars not knowing that it would be a waste of my time and money. I strive for excellence everyday and I would like to set myself apart and show that I truly do care. I know your trying to help but I would like to know what I should and should not be doing.</p>
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<p>You honestly don’t think Harvard knows that people are interested and fascinated by it?</p>
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<p>Your strategy shouldn’t be “show Harvard I care.” Your strategy should be “show Harvard that I’m a good applicant.” Harvard already assumes you want to attend it when they receive your application.</p>
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<p>He has pointed out, and I will also, that there is no such thing as “what you should and should not be doing.” I can put it this way if you want: in the vast majority of cases, if your only reason for doing activity X is to improve your chances of getting into Harvard, then activity X will not help, and will in fact probably hurt, your chances of getting into Harvard. Top schools are not looking for students who want to get into them really really really badly. They are looking for students who do things for their own reasons, and those things and reasons happen to be impressive on their own merit.</p>
<p>It is kind of like the expression “If you have to ask, you’ll never know.” In this case it is more like, “If you have to ask, you aren’t.”</p>
<p>OP, if you’re interested in, say, creative writing, and you’re asking which programs are prestigious vs. not, that’s one thing. You should then be much more specific in your questions. If you have no idea what you want to do this summer–research, study abroad, humanitarian causes, not even at that broad a level–you just know that whatever it is, it should get you into Harvard, I third T2 and Dwight.</p>
<p>Ya but I don think finding out what would make me a bad applicant would hurt.</p>
<p>Again, we cannot answer that unless you already have a pretty specific idea of what you want to do and want advice on which of 3 or 4 programs to pick. TASP, which sebelius mentioned, is one of the most prestigious science summer programs in the country. But if you’re a humanities geek or a public service geek, it’s not going to fit the story the rest of your application tells (on the off chance you even got into TASP), and so it won’t look very good on your application. If you’re not an anything geek, I’m not sure exactly why you even want to come here.</p>
<p>I tried to PM you PHX, but couldn’t.</p>
<p>While I have some minutes to spare, here’s my two cents:</p>
<p>Consider SSP. This isn’t about increasing your chances, it’s about getting to know Harvard better, taking full blown college courses at Harvard (they are real college courses, and will count as credit for Harvard and other schools - many are taught by real Harvard profs, and most are taught by former profs and alumni), spending your summer time well and showing (just a little bit) that you care about Harvard. That last point, which you also made, is almost moot, but it does count a little. </p>
<p>I’m not sure where you are in high school, but if you have two or more summers before fall senior year, you really should consider it. Certainly at least visit Harvard early, so you’re motivated to do well in HS. I don’t know anyone who did SSP and regretted it, even if they decided not to apply (not everyone who does SSP applies, or decides to). Just taking college courses (especially if you’re already doing dual enrollment during the year) and enjoying life in Cambridge surly makes it worth it several times over.</p>
<p>There are many other programs, such as Interlochen Center for the Arts, other college summer programs, or you could start a small business or something.</p>
<p>Let me give my daughter as an example. She is currently a junior at Harvard, concentrating in physics. Back in seventh grade she was identified through Duke’s TIP program as a high potential kid and thereafter received countless offers of enrichment programs and never attended a single one. However, she had been active in dance since the age of four and her high school summers were always split between family vacations (which were not mentioned in her college applications) and dance intensive training programs (which were). Dance was also the dominant EC throughout the academic years. She did not discover her love of physics until she took the AP course in her junior year. She did not participate in any science or math ECs throughout HS and yet she was accepted at Harvard with physics listed as her intended major because she was an overall excellent student who followed her passion in dance and excelled in it. She never did anything with the aim of getting into college, but because she wanted to develop her talents. We don’t live in an area with a lot of ivy mania so that was never her objective (she only applied to two ivy league schools). So, as the experienced posters above have indicated, the important activities are those that are important to you rather than being resume fodder.</p>
<p>There seem to be some current students who have answered. I suspect they were like cltdad’s daughter. Allow me to add to his example. </p>
<p>I attended an inner-city HS w/no expectations to go to any Ivy. I don’t think I knew a single person who had every attended. But I cranked in HS. I milked my best-of-the-district magnet school for all it was worth. Then I took saturday AP classes. I washed dishes as a PT job. And I was a clear student leader in an predominantly black HS (I’m Chinese, BTW). And I didn’t do any of these things with an eye to what colleges thought. Not one. I took the ACT and SAT once each. (as it turns out my scores were about the 30th percentile of the HYP I eventually matriculated at).</p>
<p>I didn’t even consider applying to any Ivy until October/November of my senior year. I had already been courted and accepted by a top public University. With that acceptance in my back pocket and on the advice of some classmates (not my Asian parents), I applied to a few Ivies. Didn’t stress b/c I knew I was headed to a great college regardless. Come April, every college accepted me. I chose my HYP college for a variety of reasons but they were frankly one stop in my life’s journey. The college didn’t make me either. I’m sure if I had gone to the first college, most of my life’s trajectory would have been the same and the things that matter to me now would also, likely be the same. With the benefit of some hindsight, let me gently state again: please be yourself. It’ll be fine. Perhaps you’ll get into a school like Harvard. Perhaps not. But really, it ain’t all dat. Been there - done that.</p>
<p>If you’re anywhere close to being a viable Harvard candidate, then 99% likely you’ll have an extremely successful college career. That’s amazing in itself. </p>
<p>Reach for Harvard if you wish. But don’t mold yourself into what you think H or Y or P or S wants. Be you and be content with that.</p>
<p>I spent my high school summers working 60 hours a week (breaking a few child labor laws in the process!) at Dunkin’ Donuts and a summer camp. The summer camp was something I really enjoyed because I love working with kids, and Dunkin’ Donuts was mostly to make money that I could use during the school year when I couldn’t work as much.</p>
<p>Neither of these are activities that anyone will specifically say are “what Harvard wants.” Now, maybe an admissions officer thought that being responsible for 20 eight-year-olds required leadership skills that Harvard appreciates. Maybe not. But I didn’t give any thought to college when I decided how to spend my summers, and, if anecdotal evidence means anything, Harvard didn’t seem to mind for me.</p>
<p>So as long as I’m showing who I am as a person, then it’s fine no matter what I do? I understand now that there is no right choice except the one that reflects you as person. I also understand that Harvard does not want people who have done stuff just so they could get into Harvard. I just wanted to find some cool and useful things to do over my summer break.</p>
<p>I agree with the other posts that there is no one thing that makes you a candidate, but if I had to choose the most meaningful summer experience I’ve had, I would have to say it was living in Kenya for about a month to help build part of a school with Free the Children. The school I built was with the Free the Children Organization, but the trips run through the Me to We Organization. It is a wonderful experience that really helps you expand your life experience and global mindset. Plus I got to build a classroom and library for kids that I became friends with during my time there, which is a great feeling. </p>
<p>And you don’t just have to go to Kenya either, there are trips to India, Nicaragua, Ecuador, China and Mexico! I just did it this past summer, so I don’t know yet if it’s something Harvard will like, but it changed my life and that’s the main thing.</p>
<p>The key is to do something you’re passionate about. I am passionate about social justice, education and volunteering, so going on the trip was really just a way for me to dive deeper into that and “get my hands dirty”. 
Plus I wrote an essay about it that I really liked, so that’s another factor to consider.</p>
<p>If you want to know more about Me to We trips, here’s the link:
[Me</a> to We - Youth Volunteer Trips](<a href=“http://www.metowe.com/trips/youth/kenya]Me”>http://www.metowe.com/trips/youth/kenya)
But, of course, there are many organizations that offer summer trips abroad, and I would encourage you to research some of them.</p>
<p>Ps. I know the trips are a lot of money, but local fundraising can really help! I raised over half of my trip total from friends, family and community fundraising. :)</p>
<p>PHXD: you’re settings don’t allow for PMs. To your question for me: no way H can do checks like that. It’d be insane – especially w/30K applicants.</p>
<p>Exultationsy: TASP is a humanities program. What are you talking about?</p>
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<p>Almost. I think most successful applicants do things that show leadership or personal growth over the course of several summers. What they do isn’t as important as how they do it. A person could spend every summer at lacrosse camp, moving over the years from being a camper to being a staff member; spend summers in science enrichment programs and then move on to working summers in a lab; work summers at a pool, moving up the ladder from lifeguard to assistant pool manager. </p>
<p>A person *could *also go to Kenya, but a person doesn’t have to. And if a person does go to Kenya, he or she would still be well advised to do something there that demonstrates leadership or personal growth.</p>
<p>Do you have any suggestions?</p>
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<p>Me? For that matter, any of us? We’ve all been saying you can’t predict “what Harvard wants” because there’s no such thing as “what Harvard wants.” You should find opportunities that *you *care about, and make something of them. A snarky person would say that you seem to be asking strangers on the internet what your interests are.</p>
<p>I already gave my advice:</p>
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<p>Work in a research lab. Work for money. Learn Farsi. Apprentice yourself to a summer theater company. Any of those is fine, as are hundreds of other ways to do something productive with your summers. But they won’t all appeal equally to everyone. You really want me to pick one for you? (Hmm…turns out, I am kind of a snarky person. Sorry 'bout that.)</p>