Tips for Researching 2021 Summer Programs
Elton Lin
The summer has always been an essential time of year for college-minded students, as this well-deserved break gives students the perfect opportunity to pursue activities or interests without the stress and clamor of the academic year. From STEM camps and college classes to volunteering and more, there’s a wealth of summer programs for students to choose from. Because some summer programs, such as competitions or art programs, require student applications, smart families plan for their students’ summers well in advance—but this year is different. Many summer programs, including the prestigious and well-known ones, are still unsure about their operations in summer 2021, and even those that promise to hold activities as usual have been adapting their programs to suit remote needs. So in light of the pandemic, where do students even start looking when it comes to summer programs?
Don’t worry—we’re here to help. Here are some tips for researching summer programs so you can be prepared for the summer of 2021:
Don’t look for a specific program that you think all colleges will prefer—it doesn’t exist. Certain programs may be more well-known or even nationally acclaimed, but come college application season, colleges will not be overly concerned with That One Prestigious summer program their applicants attended. Instead of trying to find some catch-all summer program, prioritize finding programs that either facilitate your interests or allow you to explore something new.
Think long-term and focused. Longer summer programs tend to be more valuable, so try to find summer programs that last at least three weeks at the bare minimum. The more time a student spends focused on a particular summer program, the more time they’ll have to process and integrate the new information or experience they’re gaining from the program. In other words, a longer duration is better for a student’s learning experience—given that you are genuinely interested in the subject, of course. Additionally, if you’re concerned about how summer programs will look on college applications down the road, colleges also tend to think along the lines of “longer is better,” as they interpret longer summer programs as indicative of a student’s greater dedication to a subject or activity.
Look for research-oriented programs. Programs that have a research element where students drive a laboratory experiment or create a project to prove or disprove a hypothesis are academically challenging and great outside-of-class learning experiences. Typically, research programs can also create opportunities for students to publish a research paper that can be submitted for journal publication or regional science fairs. From the admissions perspective, it also proves the student is ready to function at the college level for that particular subject. Note that STEM research programs are more common, but there are also some social science and humanities programs to consider like UCSB RMP and Clark Scholars Program.
Decide your personal priorities in this time of COVID-19. You’ll want to decide your own COVID-19-related criteria for summer programs. How critical is the in-person experience for you? If you’re willing to go to in-person programs, you’ll want to make sure the summer programs you pursue have well-structured precautions in place. Your options will be more limited, but if in-person activities are imperative for you, then this should be a criterion you use when searching for summer programs. If you’d rather go for remote options, think of which summer experiences you could make the most of in a remote setting and which ones you think you’d much rather experience face-to-face in later summers. Figuring out your personal priorities is essential for starting your 2021 summer program search.
Keep track of the COVID-19 updates of the summer programs you’re interested in. Since most plans for the coming months are in flux with every new change in the COVID-19 situation, the best way to prepare is to stay in the know. If the summer program in question is tied to a college or university, then you can look into that particular institution’s COVID-19 response during the academic year so far. What rules and precautions did they put into place? How well did they enforce them? How successful was their COVID-19 response and how many cases have they suffered? Is the trend getting better or worse? These are updates you want to be consistently mindful of as you prepare for the summer.
College credit is great, but don’t overlook community colleges. There are many benefits to taking college courses in the summer—colleges often offer subjects that your high school doesn’t, or can provide you with an opportunity to take an extra course for credit so that you can focus on other courses during the academic year. Note that most summer programs don’t offer transferable college credit, and even if they do, it tends to be “extension” credit which may not count for core or general education courses. Prestigious colleges and universities aren’t necessarily the best places for students to get course transfer credit. Community colleges are a significantly cheaper option for the same educational experience. Community college courses can also go into your GPA when you apply for undergrad college. Another factor to consider is that college admissions boards are not particularly concerned about which institution was affiliated with your summer course credit. You may ultimately decide that you would rather take summer courses at a more prestigious college, but first consider what you think you’ll gain from that experience that you can’t get at a community college, especially in light of remote classes.
Consider activities or programs that have operated remotely during non-pandemic years. Remote internships, online volunteering, summer courses, virtual camps and research, online competitions have all been available online even before the pandemic hit, and they remain as fully operational as they’ve always been. Even some summer programs that haven’t been exclusively operated in a remote setting may have past experience with virtual activities, and thus are more likely to be programs you can trust to operate smoothly this coming summer.
Though the pandemic has made the summer of 2021 somewhat uncertain, there’s still much college-minded students can do to prepare for summer activities. Do your research and stay in the know, and you will be able to make the most out of your experience when summer rolls around.