Exciting summer programs for High School students

By Rajkamal Rao  

Image Courtesy: Rao Advisors

There are outstanding summer programs to keep your teenager engaged and active, while giving them an opportunity to make friends, learn, and have fun. 

 

Summer programs are also about exploration, so it is fine to have your child enroll in a program that you may consider to be outside of her interests or career goals. The best programs offer what a high school generally does not - an opportunity for hands-on, experiential, and collaborative learning in a space that supports scalable, real-world experiences.  

Click here for our expanded list of opportunities broken down into several tabs - Business, Computer Sci/AI, General Science & Engineering, Volunteering, Debates, Government & Leadership, International Relations & Foreign Languages, and Creative Pursuits (Fine Arts).

Notes

 

Colleges look for four components in a student's overall profile. Your chosen summer program must fulfill one or more of these components.

1. Commitment to an activity resulting in improving skills. If you are committed to an activity and keep doing it, you are naturally going to get better at it.
   
   
2. Team dynamics. When you are in an activity that promotes team dynamics, you learn to share, give, and take. 
   
   
3. Leadership. If you are good in #1 and #2 above, you could be promoted to a leadership role within your EC activity.
   
   
4. Service to community. The impact of your EC activity is important. Are you dedicating part of your week to helping others who are less fortunate than you are? Here are guidelines for the Presidential Volunteer Service Awards - this intensity of service is not required always, but, it is good to have on a resume at least for one year.
   

We recommend summer activities that will best help students reflectively describe in their college essays the way they grew, contributed, and learned.

• 11th-12th grade summer: Leadership programs; volunteering in field of major; research; internship, or job.
  
  
• 10th-11th grade summer: Research; volunteering; SAT/ACT/PSAT prep; explore summer learning.
  
  
• 9th-10th grade summer: Volunteering; explore summer learning.
  
  
• 8th-9th grade summer: Volunteering; explore summer learning.

STEM and Liberal Arts

Summer academic programs fall into two basic buckets, STEM and Liberal Arts. Non-academic programs range from providing service at a local nursing home to volunteering for an international organization such as the Red Cross. Work or internship options are also attractive ways to keep children engaged. For a review of why extracurricular activities are important, please read our post here. 

Applying early is critical.

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Liberal Arts & Humanities

For high school students who are interested in pursuing a political science, government, or international relations career, there are numerous opportunities. Many start off in high school clubs that culminate in inter-school competitions at the regional, state, or even national level. Other opportunities are available through essay competitions or internships.

The best ones are those that are sponsored by the government, or by organizations representing the government. It is never a good idea to pay exorbitantly for such experiences, so be wary of internships or pre-college programs or summer sessions at elite top schools such as Stanford, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, Columbia, and Brown.

STEM

There are numerous STEM programs that may interest your child. Many require students to have demonstrated STEM skills in school through coursework and club activities. Some are open to all students.

Volunteering and Community Service

No matter what your passion for community service is, there's always an organization that is eager to have you volunteer.

It helps if you can tailor your interests to the current trend in college admissions. Since the 2020 George Floyd protests, there has been a national awakening, especially on college campuses, about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Some states have banned official consideration of DEI programs for hiring and college recruitment, but volunteering to help uplift disadvantaged communities will always be looked at in good light.

Black, Latino, Native American, Refugees, LGBTQ are good examples of communities that can benefit from your volunteering. Causes could include Rights & Criminal Justice, Education, Health, Immigration, Voting, Youth, Urban Poverty, Enterprise Zones, Financial Literacy, and the Economy.

Independent 501(c)(3) organizations

Many students pursue a passion for which no established organization exists. One client enjoyed painting on shoes and reselling them, using the profits from the sale to donate to an established charity. Another used her expertise in quilting to sell products on Etsy and contributing all of her profits to a charitable organization. Another used his passion for tennis to get other friends to join him and conduct tennis coaching camps, donating the proceeds to improve public tennis courts in the community. For such activities to be legal because money is involved, you are better off creating your own tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization named for a section of the I.R.S. code that regulates charities.

There are plenty of destination organizations that would be grateful for charitable contributions. 

If none of the above options appeals to you, look at our link to find causes to help you find an organization in your area. Often, local charities are the best places to find meaningful and fulfilling opportunities.

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