pre-college summer classes for high schoolers

[princess barbara]

I have a soon to be 17 year old dd who is a rising senior. How important is it to take a summer pre-college course? Some I see are a way to earn college credit while some are just for fun to get you to experience college life by having you attend a university, live in the dorm and eat meals in the caf.

Some are pretty pricey but I was wondering if it looks good on a college application that they attended something like this. Trying to firm up summer vacation plans and how much dd should be working this summer.

Does anyone have any to recommend? Pros and cons?

 

[powellrj]

My kids never went to any and I don't know of any of their friends that have. Around here they don't seem to be a big deal.

 

[Puffy2]

Like joint enrollment?

Just remember, at least in our state, joint enrollment classes only count for college credit if they are taken on campus at the college (not if they are taken at a high school).

Sometimes it is a good way to get a certain class out of the way at a junior college that is hard to pass at a university (like a first year history class. those can be very challenging and time consuming as they are often considered "weed out classes".

But really in retrospect, I don't think that it matters very much for college admissions. and maybe it is more important to just enjoy a summer and be a teen.

 

[princess barbara]

Op here- thanks for the input. We live in the northeast and these summer enrichment programs for the high schoolers are somewhat common. It wouldn't be so much for college credit. They vary in length from 1 week to over 6 weeks where kids live on campus. I agree that it's nice to let teens be kids during the summer. I just keep getting inundated with mailings about pre-college classes from Ivy schools on down. And I know that there were kids dd knew last year that did some study program at Geo. Washington Univ. as well as at Brown that are now freshmen at the same places. Just wondering if anyone's child has had the experience in a similar program and can share.

 

[stsomewhere]

My son has gone to a few enrichment camps. They were a in ffield that he wa interested in pursing when in college as a career.

 

[jmartinez1895]

I have been wanting to know the same thing. My 10th grader has been getting letter all week from school all across the country inviting him to attend summer classes. He really got excited when he got a letter from Stanford, but the total cost of sending him was over $13k . I am considering some of the ones here at home ( Auburn and University of Alabama). From what his guidance counselor has said, it seems like it would be a great opportunity for any child that is college bound.

 

[C-CMom]

This past summer for twins, now HS seniors:

One daughter went to a one month long competitive entry state program (competitive because free "Governor's School") in her likely field. It was helpful to get a taste of college and dorm life, but even more important to explore her likely major with excellent professors. Though she won't go to the school where the program was held, she reports feeling more confident and passionate about her chosen major. Because it was a recognized competitive entry program, it probably did add at least a little to her college applications.

One daughter went to a one week "camp" in her chosen major at the school she was primarily considering. Again, very helpful for the taste of college/dorm life and her chosen field in general, but even better to reassure that this particular school was a good fit for her. Probably added at least a little to college apps, especially for the chosen school.

Agree in general that "free" time is valuable, but these relatively short experiences turned out to be fun and interesting in addition to the helpful factors listed.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

My daughter is also a current junior, and we are receiving a lot of these offers. Like others, she also was selected to attend our state's Governor's School for her area of interest. She loved it. She made friends with kids from all over our state. She took some college courses, one of which her high school is accepting in place of a required economics class her senior year. She also learned what it's like to live away from home (she was 5-1/2 hours from us), manage her money (for extras, her main meals were included), and be responsible for her own laundry. She was gone for a month.

Stanford is her dream school, so I'm sure she would embrace the opportunity to be there for several weeks. Back in the fall, we attended a presentation given by admissions recruiters from Stanford, Harvard, Georgetown, Penn, and Duke. During the Q&A at the end of the presentation, a parent point blank asked if attending a summer program gave a student an advantage in admissions. All of the recruiters said no, it had no bearing on the student's admission.

If your daughter wants to go, and it is in your budget (both time and money-wise), it could be a great experience for her. I wouldn't do it, though, with any expectation that it would help her get into that particular university.

 

[momof1princess]

DD17 was invited to our state's Governor's School program this summer, but her AP English teacher advised her that it would only benefit her on college apps if she attended the college where the Governor's School is held. She opted for University of Alabama Early College instead. She can do it online, it DOES count for college credit; and, if she gets 17 credit hours by December 31st, she'll get priority housing at UA (which she may qualify for anyway, based on her ACT score). The best part is, she gets a half scholarship for each class she takes, and a book scholarship as well. We're getting $5600 in college classes (based on 17 hours) for $2800.