Pre-college summer programs

Pre-college summer programs

LOOKING TO GET A TASTE of college life beyond the shiny brochures and campus tour with your parents? Consider a pre-college summer program. Haven’t given it much thought? Read on. And, don’t forget to check out mycollegeguide.org for more information.

Although pre-college programs vary as greatly as their host universities, most are geared to high school juniors and seniors seeking transferable college credit, an academic advantage or just a glimpse into the college experience.

At some schools, like Emory University in Atlanta, students can take two-week non-credit courses or six-week credit courses. If your family lives near the university, you can commute, but many high school students like to live together in Turman Dorm. There, students get a taste of independence, life with a roommate, resident advisor supervision, and meals at the adjacent Dobbs University Center.

"This summer we expect to have about 200 pre-college students on the Emory campus," says Senior Program Associate of Marketing for Emory Summer Programs Elizabeth Elkins. "Those students will be spread over three two-week sessions, so there will be about 65 students enrolled in the pre-college program at any given time. The relatively small size of our program ensures that students receive personal attention from both their professors and the residence life staff and that they get to know most of the other pre-college students."

At the University of Pennsylvania, students in the pre-college program attend undergraduate classes with college students. Classes meet anywhere from two to five times a week and just like "real" college, you can expect homework, research papers, midterms and finals. While non-credit classes are often graded simply as "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory," credit-earning courses usually result in an official college grade. If your grade is high enough to meet the school’s criteria, you’ll earn transferable credits toward college. Credits vary greatly by program and some pre-college courses may require prerequisites or placement testing to get in.

Of course, you’re not confined to a classroom the entire time. Most pre-college programs offer organized social activities, access to the university’s recreational (e.g. a gym or fitness center) and academic (e.g. library or computer center) facilities, and even group excursions (e.g. local attractions). Through the Juilliard School’s pre-college division, students have opportunities to visit the Metropolitan Opera, the New York State Theater, and the Vivian Beaumont Theater. At Brown University, pre-college programs can REALLY take you off campus: to Rome, Greece or Spain.

Yes, some pre-college programs offer scholarships, but the competition can be stiff, so get your paperwork in early. Funds can range from a few hundred dollars to the entire cost of the program.At the Art Institute of Boston, students can actually EARN money. The Young Artist Scholarship Program provides not only full tuition and fees to those in need, but also an hourly stipend. Now that’s a summer job!

Get a taste of higher education and make yourself stand out to college admissions by looking into a pre-college summer program offered by a college or university! Avoid another summer of boredom. Check out "Think Pre-College Summer Programs" at mycollegeguide.org.

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