Is It Too Late for A Summer Program?

High school students participating in a college summer program.

Attending a summer program, especially the summer between your junior and senior year of high school, can be one of the best things you can do to help your chance of admission to a selective university.

Attending a summer program, especially the summer between your junior and senior year of high school, can be one of the best things you can do to help your chance of admission to a selective university. Students can explore their interests academically, and it show intellectual curiosity. Summer programs usually have early deadlines from October - January. But it’s not easy to think about summer plans at that time of year. Finding opportunities can be difficult later when students are ready to make summer plans. Here are some of my favorite summer programs with later deadlines!

Boston Leadership Institute

Boston Leadership Institute (BLI) provides exciting educational experiences for high school students who want to learn more about subjects like medicine, engineering, science, and business. Students have unique opportunities to work with experienced professors who have won national honors. Students collaborate on projects, discuss ideas, and do experiments with fellow students. This program provides a wonderful chance for high school students to explore their passions and acquire valuable work experience. Find the link here.

Research Science Institute (RSI) at MIT

This is a six-week summer program in various STEM fields. Some options include physics, engineering, and computer science. Students work on research projects and learn from some of the MIT faculty. You live on campus and get a real feel for MIT life. Here is a link to check out MIT programs.

Get Guidance for Your College Journey

College Trek Consulting sends out tips and resources for navigating the college journey.

Sign up for our list

Computer Science & Cyber Security

Computer Science for Cybersecurity introduces high school students to cybersecurity and computer science. At the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, the program is known for its digital forensics, cryptography, hacking, and steganography courses. Students get a foundational understanding of cybersecurity and computer science. This program is free. Find more information with this link.

Lumiere Breakthrough Scholar Program

Colleges are very interested in students who participate in research. Lumiere Breakthrough Scholar Program is an ideal fit if you want to do your own research. The program covers a wide range of subjects over a 12-week period. It pairs students with mentors who guide them through the research project they want to work on. These programs have a fee. Here is the link to learn more about Lumiere.

Leading for Tomorrow at Missouri S&T

Students prepare to be leaders for tomorrow - for the common good in their schools and in the community. Students will participate in an intensive leadership experience designed to challenge their perspectives and stretch their comfort zone. Students will engage in interactive activities and experiences to explore, develop, and reflect on adaptive leadership, resiliency building, crucial conversations, immunity to change, and various other leadership practices. Students will gain knowledge to reflect on and apply to their own experiences, exploring how to be active leaders for tomorrow. The fee for this program is $650. To get more information follow this link.

Admissions reps generally put a lot of weight on what you do during your high school summers. While participating in these summer programs is not a magical potion that will guarantee your admission to a selective college, it may help your chances! What the programs can do is help you decide if a subject is something you want to pursue as a potential major. The programs can also provide an opportunity to find something to share with the university about you.

Gail Nichols, Independent College Consultant for over 12 years. Helping students to find their college is my passion.