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Clark University Game Design Summer Program

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Clark University Game Design Summer Program

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Becker School Game Studio Summer Program

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Our pre-college programs are designed to give high school students the resources and support they need to ensure a successful transition to college, whether at Landmark College or elsewhere. These offerings include both our signature High School Summer Program as well as Online Dual Enrollment, which takes place during the traditional academic year. Either option will help prepare students for the rigors of higher education, and taken together, they provide holistic and year-round support to transform a students readiness for the next level. A diagnosed learning difference is not required to participate in these programs.

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Pre-College Offerings at Landmark College

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Explore Landmark College's programs to find the right entry point for you, from associate and bachelor's degrees to specialized transition and summer...

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7 Best Job Sites with lots of Jobs for Teens!

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7 Best Job Sites with lots of Jobs for Teens!

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Online Tech Tips - Computer Tips from a Computer Guy

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The 7 Best Sites With Lists of Jobs for Teenagers

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Taking a summer or part-time job is part of growing up, and it’s a great way for high school students to make money on the side. Most teenagers think their first job might be as a babysitter or something in fast food, but times have changed – and so have the options for teenagers. Now,

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PREFACE: The RPI Summer Engineering Design Program | Pre-College Initiatives

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Our career development opportunities for teens match students with mentors in their area of interest for volunteer and paid career experience.

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What steps do you take when making an important decision? How do you involve others in the decision-making process? How do you feel about taking responsibility for decisions or outcomes? This course is designed to help students develop critical thinking, creativity, and analytical skills through engaging and interactive challenges. This dynamic course uses interactive games, case studies, and real-life scenarios to help young leaders build confidence in making choices that impact their lives, communities and the world around them. Students will learn to approach problems logically, break down complex issues into manageable parts, and explore different strategies to find solutions. Whether the problem involves math, real-life scenarios, or team collaboration, this course equips students with tools to think critically and solve problems in a variety of contexts. Through these activities and discussions, students will explore the consequences of different types of decisions, develop techniques for analyzing complex situations, and practice leading with integrity, empathy and purpose. Perfect for aspiring leaders, this course equips students with essential skills to navigate challenges and seize opportunities in today's fast-paced world. By the end of the course, students will be more confident in their ability to analyze problems, explore multiple solutions, and think critically both inside and outside the classroom. This course will not only build problem-solving skills but also help students become resilient, independent thinkers ready to face challenges in all areas of life.

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Classes | Badger Precollege Badger Precollege

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Welcome to a world of enchanted forests, talking animals, and magic transformations. It's all about fairy tales, of course! But this class goes way beyond bedtime stories for little kids. In this course, we will study the history of the fairy tale from its origin in the oral tradition to modern day.

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Summer Precollege Focus Series - UCLA Summer Sessions

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The University Of Mary Washington Summer Programs

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The University Of Mary Washington Summer Programs

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Georgetown University College Prep | HS Enrichment Courses

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Georgetown University is now offering a pre-college online program for HS students. Here is your chance to explore your passions before college.

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Multiple colleges offer virtual tours on YouVisit!

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Multiple colleges offer virtual tours on YouVisit!

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YouVisit has been acquired by EAB Best-in-Class Interactive Content Solutions + Best-in-Class Enrollment Marketing Services.

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https://summer.gwu.edu/precollege

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Explore Harvard from Home

Use our Virtual Tour to discover spaces that aren't even available on an in-person campus tour, such as classrooms, laboratories, residence halls, and more. Even better, it's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and never reaches capacity.

Register for an Online Information Session

After you tour our campus virtually, take the next step and join us for an online information session! In these hour-long sessions, an admission officer and a student will share information about Harvard College and answer the questions you submit through the chat. View our schedule of upcoming sessions and register today!

Discover SEAS

Take a virtual, student-led lab tour focused on Harvard's undergraduate programs at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences! Meet with current SEAS students and learn more about applied mathematics, biomedical engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, engineering sciences, and mechanical engineering. With a new campus and new facilities, the opportunities are endless.

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If you can't make it to Cambridge to visit us, don't worry. Our virtual tour takes you around campus and into residential halls, classrooms, and more.

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Dartmouth Virtual Visits, information sessions and more!

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Dartmouth Virtual Visits, information sessions and more!

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Lots of great opportunities from Tufts!

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Welcome to our virtual open house, Fall for Tufts! These seven weeks of virtual programs, such as workshops, panels, and mock classes, are dedicated to illustrating the Tufts community and helping you imagine your future as a Jumbo. You can see a list of available sessions below that you can begin r…

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National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)

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NACAC College Fairs Connect with hundreds of colleges and universities at NACAC College Fairs Exhibit at a NACAC College Fair Attend a NACAC College Fair Counselor Resources In-Person and Virtual Fairs Coming in Fall 2023 Students Reached Per Year Colleges

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Exploring pre college summer programs for Teens

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Exploring pre college summer programs for Teens

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As a high school student in Shreveport, Louisiana, Cherish Taylor was fascinated by forensics and looking for anything that might give her exposure to the field. After searching online, she came across a summer program through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Taylor applied and was accepted to the MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science, or MITES, and ended up taking a genomics course. She worked with researchers from MIT and Harvard University at the Broad Institute, where she helped sequence the DNA of a cancer patient.

"It exposed me to this world of genomics and even more so to a science career that existed outside what I thought you could be, which was either a forensic scientist or a teacher," Taylor says.

More than a decade after her summer at MIT, Taylor now holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Texas at Austin and her journey has brought her full circle back to the Broad Institute, where she's a postdoctoral fellow.

For high-achieving high school students like Taylor looking for a new challenge or a chance to dive deeper into a subject they are passionate about, a pre-college summer program can be a life-changing opportunity.

What Are Pre-College Summer Programs?

Many of the most competitive colleges offer summer programs. Some allow attendees to earn college credit. Others simply give teens an opportunity to leave home, dive into a subject they're interested in and learn what life is like on a college campus before actually beginning their four-year odyssey.

Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, launched its current pre-college program in 2018. What began with six program options for students has ballooned into 18, including everything from an entrepreneurial bootcamp to a mini med school.

"We've seen a lot of application growth and are really trying to grow our portfolio to fit our demand," says Arianna Wilson, director of pre-college programs. The goal, she says, is "really giving a taste of anything a student is looking for when determining their major path or career path."

Summer camps these programs are not, and interested parents and teens should know that, just like applying to college, admission to pre-college summer programs is often competitive.

"I would encourage students to look into pre-college programs early on," says Reimi Hicks, associate director of recruitment and admissions at MITES. "We receive hundreds of inquiries in the winter and spring, and that's often too late, because there's an extensive application process that takes place in the fall."

Programs can run anywhere from a week to more than a month. Most involve kids staying on campuses in dorms to get the full college experience, although since COVID-19, some programs began offering hybrid as well as fully remote opportunities.

Cost is another thing to keep in mind. MITES, which is aimed at providing STEM education for underserved and underrepresented students, is completely free, but most programs carry a hefty price tag. For example, the one-week "Mini-Med School: Clinical Experiences" program at Tufts costs $3,400 for commuting students and $4,200 for students who opt to stay on campus.

How to Make the Most of a Pre-College Summer Program

Teens should consider carefully what they want to get out of their summer experience. While some programs are holistic in offering students a preview of college and possible career paths, others are extremely focused and rigorous.

Stony Brook University, part of the State University of New York system, has been running its summer research program at the Garcia Center for Polymers at Engineered Interfaces for 25 years. Admission requirements are steep, with students needing a near-perfect GPA along with extensive honors and Advanced Placement courses. As Miriam Rafailovich, professor of materials science and chemical engineering and the program's director, says, the program isn't for those looking for just a leg up in the college admissions process.

"There are other ways to build a resume that are a lot easier than this program," Rafailovich says. "It's very demanding and not everyone is ready to do this at 16 or 17 years old. Lots of people develop this aptitude later on, and we don't want to turn them off to science." But students who are accepted can look forward to taking full command of research projects, along with having access to state-of-the-art laboratory technology.

At the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY), which runs residential summer programs at multiple colleges, teens can take an entire year's worth of high school physics in only three weeks. But while some summer programs offer college credit, CTY does not. Executive director Amy Shelton says that's intentional.

"We're a program that is lower stakes but extremely rigorous," Shelton says. "We're a great place to flex academic muscles. Students can come and work really hard without the pressure of the grades. They can feel free to fail and make mistakes and try things they wouldn't necessarily try."

Ultimately, the real value of many pre-college programs is the chance for teens to preview their future. The Summer of Art program at Otis College of Art and Design, for instance, gives burgeoning artists "the experience to reflect on whether this is what they want to do every day, at school and presumably for the rest of their life," says program manager Steph Smith.

"It also offers students the chance to have an immersive college experience and then go home and talk to their family about it," Smith says. "Often kids go off to their freshman year and don't have a chance to sit down with their families (and talk) about what their experience is. And (they) come home at Christmastime feeling alienated and not having made the right choice."

Choosing a Pre-College Summer Program

There's no lack of options when it comes to pre-college summer programs, but there are important qualities to consider. Experts say the best programs offer students a hands-on experience that they can't get in high school, while introducing them to a network of peers and the opportunity to build a relationship with a mentor or instructor who might write them a letter of recommendation for college.

On the other hand, parents and teens should keep in mind that attending a program associated with a college or university does not mean guaranteed admission down the road. The prestige of a host institution also does not always translate to a summer program. In addition to financial costs, families will also want to consider whether other summer opportunities, like volunteering or traveling abroad, are better options.

Keeping all that in mind, here are a few more programs students might consider:

Camp Cronkite at Arizona State University: This one-week media camp for budding reporters is held at ASU' s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Students select from one of three tracks (digital journalism, broadcast journalism or sports media), and leave with the start of their professional portfolio.

Summer Scholars at Notre Dame: Students spend two weeks on Notre Dame 's historic campus in South Bend, Indiana. Courses, taught by Notre Dame faculty, range from archeology to world politics, and in the end students earn one transferable college credit.

Syracuse University Pre-College Programs: The university offers six different pre-college programs, including an on-campus residential program, hybrid and online options, and research immersion programs.

Yale Young Global Scholars: This academic and leadership program at Yale University brings together more than 2,000 students from 150 countries and all 50 U.S. states to tackle interdisciplinary topics through international perspectives.

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Exploring Pre-College Summer Programs for Teens

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On-campus programs can give high schoolers a taste of college life.

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Columbia University School of Professional Studies

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Close alert

Join us for our first-ever on-campus Fall Festival for Pre-College participants!
Click here for more.

Experience Columbia. Get a head start.

Develop your skills and learn new techniques to write a powerful college admissions essay.

For students entering grades 9-12 or freshman year

Educational conferences, idea exchanges, textbooks, critiques and award programs for student journalists.

For student journalists and their faculty advisors

Students will convene in Castleton, Vermont to mobilize action, drive impact, and effect change in response to our warming planet.

For students entering grades 9-12 across the United States

Gain computer programming and problem-solving skills in this three-week program taught online by leading coding experts.

For learners currently in grades 9-12

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Close alert Join us for our first-ever on-campus Fall Festival for Pre-College participants! Click here for more. Experience Columbia. Get a head start. Develop your skills and learn new techniques to write a powerful college admissions essay. For students entering grades 9-12 or freshman year Educational conferences, idea exchanges, textbooks, critiques and award programs for student journalists.

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Step off the summer-as-usual path and set a course for adventure at Brown University.