apparently, if you attend a FREE, prestigious summer program, that gives u a boost on ur college apps. but how do u indicate that the program u went to has both a low acceptance rate and was free? will colleges look the name of ur program up and find that out for themselves? basically, how will they know that u got in to a rlly good program?
If it’s that prestigious they will know it.
What admit rate qualifies as “prestigious”? like sub 10%? sub 5?
You have the cart before the horse: It’s not the admit rate that makes it prestigious- it is the calibre of the program & the people who put it on & the people who attend. Harvard is not prestigious because it has a low admit rate, it has a low admit rate b/c it is so prestigious that more people know about it, admire it, and want to attend than they have spaces.
Also: it’s not a magic bullet to go to a program like that! it is part of the mosaic you are creating about yourself. A tiny handful of programs are truly prestigious- but there are a LOT of programs that attending could add to your application: it can indicate depth of skill, long term involvement, etc. not to mention whatever you actually get from the experience of the program. The really selective colleges will care more about what you take from the experience- and especially what you do with whatever you have learned / gained going forward. It’s really not just ticking a box that says ‘I did this cool thing’.