Webinar Transcript: Last-Minute Summer Programs
Elton Lin
Anthony Su: Glad everyone could make it today. We're talking about summer plans, because so many of our students are taking a look at summer plans: taking a look at what options are still out there, since there are so many different types of programs! Some are going to be great for some students, some maybe not. We want to take a moment to present to everyone today what is out there – with about one more month to think about [it] before we really need to start shifting gears towards the summer!
A lot of these programs [that] we'll talk about will have a couple of deadlines. You'll see the examples that we have.
But today I'm joined [by] Sophia from our team. Sophia, would you like to introduce yourself really quickly?
Sophia Chang: Thanks, Anthony. Hi everyone, I'm Sophia. I'm an educational consultant here at ILUMIN … I've been in the education industry for the past 10 years, helping with various aspects of college planning – including academic planning and, of course, college applications.
Summer planning is a big part of that, so I'm happy to be sharing that information here tonight.
As you know, there are a lot of different programs and summer options out there – so I will start by going over different types of summer programs that you can start considering.
Experiential programs
Purpose/Value:
Experience something new and different
Gain exposure to an interest area to determine fit
Build evidence of your interests for your essays/résumé
Best for: Rising 9th, Rising 10th
Still Open: National Student Leadership Conference (Rolling), Stanford EXPLORE Lectures (Rolling), Cal Poly EPIC (Rolling through April 15), Miss CEO
Sophia Chang: The first type is what we would call “experiential programs.” As the name implies, these programs are really great for students who want to experience something new and different. But, more importantly, [these programs are great] for them to get experience and get exposure to certain areas that they've always been interested in or were curious about learning more about. Experiential programs are a great way to explore – and to start building evidence [of your interest in a résumé] for students who are still not very sure on exactly what they might want to pursue [in] college, and so on.
Experiential programs are best for students who are rising 9th or rising 10th grade – but they can be good for any student at any time, of course!
There are many that are still taking applications for this summer, and you can see down here: these are some programs that are still accepting applications. Some of them include:
National Student Leadership Conference; they offer some great courses in different subject areas for students.
Stanford EXPLORE has a lecture series particularly in biomedical engineering – so there are different lectures that they provide in that area. It's offered through the Stanford Medical Center. That can be a great option.
Cal Poly EPIC is another great one that offers engineering-related courses that students can start exploring if they're interested.
Miss CEO is a great one for leadership programs that help with mentorship and career opportunity discussions and whatnot.
[These are] some programs that are still open for those seeking some experiential activities and exposure to different [fields of] interest.
Academic Programs
Purpose/Value:
Explore an interest OR gain knowledge in a field of interest
Earn college credit and experience college coursework
Gain evidence of interest to present to colleges in essays/résumé
Best for: Rising 10th, Rising 11th
Still Open: UCSD Academic Connections (online 6/16, residential 5/26), UChicago Immersion (rolling), UCLA Institutes (6/1), USC Summer (5/5), UMASS Summer Academies (rolling/6/1, Penn Wharton Data Science Academy and Sports Business Academy (4/5), Georgetown Summer Institutes (5/15), Syracuse Pre-College (5/1)
Sophia Chang: [The] next type of program we have are what we call “academic programs.” These are programs that offer students some more in-depth knowledge in a particular field of interest. A great thing about academic programs is that there is [an] opportunity to earn college credit for some of the courses they might be taking in the programs.
Another great thing is that academic programs offer students the chance to actually experience college classes – sometimes even directly on the college campus! A great way to gain both academic knowledge [and] that experience at the college level. And it's a great way to gain evidence of interest to present to colleges in future essays and résumés.
Academic programs are really great for rising 10th and rising 11th graders – but, again, they're great for any grade level, especially if a student already has an interest they want to explore and want to learn more about.
Academic programs are still available for students to apply to, and [above] you'll see a lot of different options available at different colleges. A lot of colleges do have what they call “pre-collegiate summer programs” – which are specific programs for high school students, and a chance for them to explore college-level courses in various fields.
Academic programs are a great way to go as well.
Research-based programs
Purpose/Value:
Gain practical experience in your field of interest
Produce a tangible outcome you can share with colleges
Develop skills (teamwork, communication, time management)
Be mentored by a prof/researcher in your chosen field
Best for: Rising 12th, Rising 11th
Still Open: Horizon (5/21), Polygence (6/1), Pioneer Academics (4/9), Lumiere (4/16), Rosetta Biomedical Workshops (rolling), UCSB SRA (3/29), ASDRP (4/15), NYU SPARC (4/20)
Sophia Chang: Moving on to the third kind of programs: what we call “research-based programs.”
Research-based programs are really great for students who want to gain practical experience in a field that they're interested in. They’re particularly great for those interested in STEM fields – because they get to learn research-based skills that then produce a tangible outcome in the form of a research paper, or sometimes even an opportunity to get published in an academic journal!
Regardless of the outcome of it, the great thing about research-based programs is that the students are able to develop real-life skills. That includes not just research skills, but also the teamwork aspect: communication, time management. Also, [they’re] really great for networking. A lot of students have [made ties] with professors and mentors through these research programs that have developed into something even more enriching for them afterwards! (Often these research programs are mentored by an actual professor or an actual researcher doing actual research in a particular field.)
Research programs are really great for students who have a very strong interest in a particular area. Often rising 11th graders (and also rising seniors) tend to delve a little deeper into these research programs.
Again, here you'll see different programs (and even organizations) that offer research-related opportunities and mentorship programs:
UC Santa Barbara SRA: this is a really great research program offered through UC Santa Barbara. Their deadline is, of course, tomorrow [March 29th, 2023]– but I just wanted to [highlight] that.
Beyond actual college-based programs, there are great ways for students to build their own research – through outside organizations that can pair them with mentors who will guide them through their own research questions. It's another way to get involved.
Project-based programs
Purpose/Value:
Gain experience in a career/academic discipline through hands-on projects
Produce a tangible outcome you can share with colleges
Develop skills (teamwork, communication, time management)
Still open: Design the Future (TBA for 2023), BlueStamp Engineering (4/30, rolling through 5/31), Inspirit AI (4/15), Quarter Zero (rolling)
Sophia Chang: Great. Next are “project-based programs.”
These (as the name implies) are programs that give students an opportunity to actually create projects. These are more hands-on. A great thing about project-based programs is that [students] are able to create tangible projects and results that they can then add to their portfolio – especially [for] STEM majors. Not always – but often – [for] STEM majors, having a portfolio of projects can be very helpful.
Project-based programs are great. They help develop not just academic and real-life skills, but also teamwork, communication, and client management skills that colleges see as being very valuable!
There are many different programs that offer these types of project-based opportunities. Some that are still accepting applications include:
Design the Future. In regards to Design the Future, we're still not actually clear on whether they're going to be offering a program this summer. But if they do open it up this summer, it's a two-week program where students can actually build their own app – without having any prior coding knowledge or anything like that! That could be a great one for those interested.
BlueStamp Engineering is also a great one.
There are many different options still out there accepting applications for those interested in building some projects – to get that portfolio going, if you will!
Personal projects
Purpose/Value:
Shows initiative, resourcefulness, curiosity (+ leadership)
Unique to you
Best if it benefits your community and/or relates to your major
Best for: Everyone!
Get a jump start! Start a blog, podcast, website, social media account; contribute to a nonprofit; organize a fundraiser/service event. Maximize the clubs/orgs you are currently part of!
Sophia Chang: Beyond all those, other types of projects, of course, include personal projects. These are projects [for] students who have a strong curiosity in something: a great way for them to show that initiative by building or creating something of their own.
Oftentimes personal projects can hold a lot of weight – because they grab your attention! It is something that is going to be unique to what the student has personally worked on.
Personal projects can come in the form of a blog, even. If a student has a strong passion for something, they can start a blog and write about it. Maybe even a podcast! If a student knows a family friend [who has a hobby/business] or even if they have their own hobby, they can create a website for it, a social media account, what have you!
You can get very creative with personal projects. Summer planning does not have to be actually applying to a formal program. It can definitely come in the form of personal projects that students want to work on. It's another way to utilize the summer months for students.
Anthony Su: Sophia, let's pause right here – because I do want to ask, how do you think an admissions reader is going to look at a student's (for example) podcast, in comparison to – let's say – a research program, or a course they take at a community college? What does this show about the student in comparison to those other factors, or those other items?
Sophia Chang: That's a great question!
Personal projects – whether it's a podcast or a blog – are really great because they show that initiative on the student's part! It shows their strong curiosity and their potential for leadership: real-life skills that are necessary to actually bring their ideas to your life. That real-life aspect of them actually taking their own initiative and creating something can go a really long way – especially if it's something that is related to their major in some way. (Even if it's not, it's still a great way to showcase [a hobby].)
Anthony Su: And also if you're able to get views – if you're getting 100 views, or 1,000 views on the podcast, or maybe a video, or something like that – there's a form of validation from that as well, right?
Sophia Chang: Absolutely. If there is an idea for a blog, a website or social media account, I always advise my students who have something like that to continue to nurture and grow it over their high school years.
Some even will take outside summer programs and apply it to their existing personal projects! If you can be creative in combining your personal [projects] with other skills to continue to grow or develop, [it] looks even better and stronger. [This] is another great way to do that.
Thanks, Anthony – those are some great points that are definitely important to note.
Community service
Purpose/Value:
Contribute something!
Show colleges you are community-minded
Potential for personal project, especially if major-related
Best for: Everyone!
Check out: Zooniverse, VolunteerMatch, Code for Social Good, political campaigns/social issues, tutoring (online), summer camps with your local city government
Sophia Chang: Community service is also another way. Again, it doesn't have to be a program that you're applying to and paying to (“pay to play,” so to speak). But community service is a really great way to show colleges that you are community-minded – and that you are contributing something of value to the larger world out there.
Again, you can get creative with community service projects. Some students have a personal hobby, like dancing or piano. What they'll do is they'll start teaching art or dance or piano to younger students – as a kind of community service on their own! [This] is one way some students do that.
Also there are organizations that offer and match you to certain community service opportunities. Zooniverse down here; these are some websites that offer actual community service or volunteer opportunities. VolunteerMatch is another one. Code for Social Good.
Tutoring is a big one. A lot of students will tutor over the summer as well. And summer camps, either with their local community centers, or even churches, what have you. [These are] other great ways to show that community service aspect – beyond just summer programs per se.
Work/internships
Purpose/Value:
Practical and unique experience in professional field of interest
Requires development of self-management skills, maturity
Results in strong letter of recommendation
Best for: Rising 12th, Rising 11th
Still Open: UCSF PITCH (4/28), MYEEP (4/8), city-based internship programs, part-time job (search Idealist)
Also Consider: “cold-calling” professors/professionals in your field
Sophia Chang: Another great way to spend summer is through work and/or internships. “Work” is, obviously, paid jobs – and they can be very helpful on applications, because it shows that real-life responsibility, and the ability to manage your time, et cetera.
“Internships” (some are paid, some are unpaid) are a little harder to come by for high school students – simply because some of them have age restrictions or whatnot. Having said that, though, there are ways to find internships through either organizations that offer them. UC San Francisco PITCH has an internship opportunity coming up; late April is their deadline.
There are also a lot of city-based internship programs that students can proactively look for. They can look for internships that interest them.
And even cold-email! Do some cold-calling and outreach! There's no guarantee in getting a response, but I have had students that actually did land an internship by just cold-emailing cold-calling. So it does happen! And it can be a great way to find an internship.
Anthony Su: I'm gonna stick in a question here, because there was a question about, “Is there a best way to contact professors for research opportunities?” And, “Is this possible for East Coast schools?”
Sophia, when you're talking about having students “cold-email,” they're sending out a lot of emails, right? And you're not necessarily going to get responses from all of them. But I guess, do you have any best practices or tips that you recommend – if a student did want to go that way?
Sophia Chang: Absolutely!
[The] best place to start is if you know a family friend, or have a contact from previous programs – like professors that you've met with at a previous summer program. And just keep in contact with them! But (like you mentioned, Anthony) a lot of times it's literally just cold-calling as many as you can that are doing certain research that you're interested in, or have opportunities that you would like to partake in.
Last summer I had one who actually reached out to about 50-60 different professors from different colleges! He was interested in computer science, so he was targeting all the computer science professors at various colleges: reached out to them, cold emailed them, and he got about three responses. And two of them turned into a summer research opportunity! That was all through him cold-emailing. So it is kind of a numbers game; you don't know who will actually respond, and if it will be fruitful, but either way it's a great learning experience – and a great way to start building those contacts and relationships regardless.
Are there any other questions about internships in the chat?
Anthony Su: That was the one for internships.
Again, if you're a 16-, 17-, [or] 18-year-old, it is going to be hard to find a program that's willing to mentor students [of that age], or has the appropriate resources or projects for that type of student right. The numbers game is important here.
Sophia Chang: Absolutely. But definitely another great way [to look for internships as a high school student].
Preview courses
Purpose/Value:
Look ahead to next year to set yourself up for success
Build confidence and reduce stress
Best for: Rising 9th, Rising 10th
Check Out: AJ Tutoring, The Harker School, De Anza College, Khan Academy
Sophia Chang: During the summer, it's also a great time for students to preview courses that they know they will be taking next year – especially for AP classes.
Some students will start looking ahead and sort of set themselves up for success, if you will. [They] either get outside tutoring, or even just [get] an AP prep book – or just [use] Khan Academy to make sure they're retaining what they have learned in the school year! Because if you don't revisit certain topics or review them for the two-three months you're on summer break, you will forget, or get “rusty”, on a lot of them. A great way to spend some summer months is to preview or review some of those courses to prepare.
And there are some organizations that offer a chance for students to either get a preview or review in courses that they want to delve more into. AJ Tutoring is a tutoring service. Harker School has some really great summer options. De Anza College is another great community college [with] courses that students can take. And also Khan Academy, as I mentioned.
Utilizing the summer months to prepare ahead is also another great and important way to spend the summer.
Test Preparation
Purpose/Value:
Commit time outside of busy school year to preparing for required exams
Build confidence, test-taking skills to reduce anxiety
Take exams that will make you competitive for various majors (AMC, USACO)
Best for: Rising 10th, Rising 11th, Rising 12th
Check Out: Khan Academy, Elite, AJ Tutoring, self-study with practice book, join a club or community
Sophia Chang: If students are, especially, rising 11th graders – but really whenever they're ready – test preparation is a thing to keep in mind for summer as well.
By “test preparation,” it's not just SAT or ACT – because that's now optional [in many cases], or not even looked at for some colleges now – but “test preparation” in terms of even competitions that students might want to consider to highlight some skills outside of school. For example, if a student's really strong in math, one of the competitions that I have recommended is AMC – the American Math Competition. If students really love coding, or computer science-related work is their strength, USACO is a coding competition for students.
These are some great competitions to get experience in, and also prepare for – and if you do well, wonderful! If you don't, no harm done. So that's another great way to spend summer for a lot of students – to prepare to partake in certain competitions to highlight their skills.
Community college/high school electives
Purpose/Value:
Explore an interest
Earn college credit, boost GPA
Best for: Everyone!
Check Out: UC Scout, BYU Independent Study, Mission College, Foothill College. (Registration deadlines are usually April–June!)
Sophia Chang: Where can students explore more of their interest? Through courses!
As I mentioned previously, community colleges are a great way for students to gain some more academic insight, take classes that might interest them, or if they're looking to earn college credit (or even perhaps boost their GPA). Or maybe they did not-so-well in a class the year before. If they want to show colleges that, even though they may not have gotten the best grade the year before, they are capable and strong, some students will take those classes outside of high school over the summer – just to show colleges what they are actually capable of, just to show them that progress (even if it might not necessarily show up in their high school GPA).
Taking classes through community college (or even online high school electives) can be really great. UC Scout offers some classes at the college level, [and] APs – [which] some students take over the summer to open up some spots in the school year. They'll go through UC Scout to take certain AP classes over the summer.
BYU Independent Study offers some independent courses, and so on. That's another great thing to be mindful of – or even plan for, if it's something that you would like to do.
Anthony Su: Adding one caveat, as I know some folks have questions around earning credit for courses outside of the high school in general. With UC Scout [or] BYU Independent Study, they'll have a transcript – and you can turn that transcript in separately if your high school doesn't take the course per se. But the important part here is if you're taking (let's say) Intro to Philosophy, most high schools probably don't have an “Intro to Philosophy” class, [so] that can just be turned in separately.
The tricky part happens when you're trying to skip classes. Let's say you need to take pre-calc, and you try to use UC Scout to take pre-calc to skip into (let's say) AP calculus at your high school. Your school might have a rule that says, “All the classes must be taken in-house at our high school, or in our school district.” Just be wary of that kind of pathway – of jumping around between different areas.
But if you're taking a class that's standalone (or that your school doesn't offer) usually it's pretty safe in terms of turning it in for credit later on.
Sophia Chang: Yes, absolutely.
Not-for-credit courses
Purpose/Value:
Explore an interest without pressure of a grade
Take classes from top colleges in less common subjects (identify niche majors/future plans)
Best for: Everyone!
Still Open: MOOC, Coursera, EdX, Udemy, Summer@Brown (5/12), Penn Summer Academies (5/1), Wake Forest (rolling)
Sophia Chang: Even if a student doesn't need to take classes for a particular grade or credit, some students really do want to just explore – just for fun! Some just want to learn more about coding, or pick up an extra skill. In that case, places like MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses), Coursera, edX, [and] Udemy are great platforms that offer students courses they can take – and often even get a certificate of completion. Those certificates of completion can be great to add to student profiles and résumés – just to show outside interests that you have pursued, and [courses you] have taken just to feed your own interests and curiosity.
Even if they're not for actual grades or credit, taking some additional courses just for fun outside [is] great.
Anthony Su: These might not be things that we would truly include as part of the college application (especially if you're taking this in 9th grade) but [you’re] able to explore – let's say, forensic sciences. It would probably be harder to find that as a for-credit course, but it's probably going to be a little bit easier on something like Coursera, edX, things like that.
Sophia Chang: Exactly.
These are also really good for students who may be working on their own personal projects and just want to increase their skill[set] to be able to do something. I have a student who wants to learn more about Java (or Python, one of those two) and so he's taking it through Coursera just to get some more skills. [There are] Coursera and edX, and there are several others too – like iD Tech – that offer them.
Again, students can get creative [with] summer planning to show colleges that they're taking their own initiative to work on the things that interest them.
College and career research
Purpose/Value:
Getting excited about the future!
Finding a purpose or direction (helps shape schedule, résumé)
Best for: Everyone!
Check Out: WACAC Virtual College Fair (various; West Valley at 4/4), CollegeBoard Big Future Day (4/6, 4/20), Campus Reel Day in the Life, Payscale (top paying majors!), OOH (what majors get to which careers), CareerOneStop, CA Career Zone
Sophia Chang: On that same note, college and career research (of course) is another great, important thing that students can be doing over the summer. Just start exploring! Check out different virtual college fairs. See what kinds of colleges are out there. We hear a lot about the big names all the time, like Stanford, Columbia, NYU, UCLA… but there are so many other wonderful colleges that may not be as well-known – but have amazing resources, amazing programs, what have you.
So really utilize summer to get excited about college and the future. I always advise my students, it's never too early to do your own research and start getting excited! Envision where you want to be for the next four years after high school, and see where it is that you feel really called to – whether it's location-based or major-based, what have you.
College and career research (and exploring colleges, and visiting them) is a great thing to do over the summer.
Read and write
Purpose/Value:
Develops your worldview and self-perception
Prepares you to talk about yourself on essays, interviews
Helps with skills on standardized tests
Colleges will ask what you read/see your writing
Check Out: reading lists on Goodreads or other blogs, creative writing workshops
Sophia Chang: Outside of all those things, another great thing to keep in mind is to just continue to develop yourself as students. It's important to continue to grow as an individual and as a person.
We always encourage students to select some books you want to read on your own that are interesting to you. Maybe start journaling. There are really great reading lists (on places like Goodreads) that have great recommendations on books that students can check out for their own personal summer reading. There are also great blogs. Creative writing workshops.
Cater to your personal hobbies – and don't forget to work on yourself, outside of just academics and programs.
Anthony Su: And this came up in a previous webinar, also: Columbia will ask you, “What are you reading, or what other media have you consumed besides what is required at your school?” Schools will also ask you about this later on!
I guess you could cram it – but it's much harder to cram that as part of the application process in 12th grade.
Sophia Chang: Absolutely. You bring up a great point – because college essays also ask a lot [of] self-reflective questions. If you've been doing this (reading or developing or focusing on things outside of just the school work) then it'll be easier to answer those interview questions, write those essays, and what have you.
So [you’re] always encouraged to do that.
Take a break
Purpose/Value:
Reset! It’s been a tough year.
Self-care is important to your mental health
Best for: Everyone (including your parents!)
Check Out: local events, hikes, classes (for fun), sports, cooking, pottery, whatever!
Sophia Chang: And then, of course, most important is remember it is summer! We don't want students to just be working the whole time, and have no time to breathe!
It is summer. Make sure to give yourself that break time as well. Use that time to reset. Work on your self-care. Mental health is very important – and without mental health, nothing else will work out as successfully!
So that's something to remember, and remind students to do: check out local events. Go hiking. Maybe take up a new hobby – whether it's cooking or sports or pottery, whatever it might be. Don't forget to cater to your personal interests as well.
Am I missing anything here, Anthony?
Anthony Su: I would say “including parents”! That's the most important part of this slide! Parents can take a break as well.
Sophia Chang: Absolutely!
So what should I pick?
Sophia Chang: Those were just of all the things that I found important with summer planning. In terms of the big question, “What should students or families prioritize?” Anthony, any insight there you'd like to start us off with?
Anthony Su: Yeah.
I'm scrolling through questions, because we're about to go into Q&A as well. People like to make direct comparisons. For example, one of the questions was “Inspirit AI courses compared to Coursera and edX: are they valued the same?”
We can definitely talk about it from the admission readers’ standpoint, but I think there's also going to be an element of using this time to help students explore.
We do newsletters, and one of the questions that we most recently did was, “Why is it important to do a summer program, or have a summer plan?” This is the only time [for] an admissions officer (or, frankly, anyone who's going to be learning about the student) that the student has a large chunk of time that is mostly undefined – that they can fill with whatever they want. You learn very quickly (based on what you filled it with) more about the student!
I guess I am answering this very vaguely – “What should I pick?” But it is going to be, “What do you want to do? What are things that interest you?” And, to an extent, “Can you go out and prove it? Can you go out and do those things and come back and tell us what you learned?” That's one of the more important things.
From the perspective of admissions, I guess, Sophia, I'll toss it back to you. From the admissions perspective, what do you think is critical for each grade level (or students of different ages)?
Sophia Chang: To your point, it really depends on the context of the particular student’s profile or application.
I see a question here asking about Inspirit AI courses versus Coursera or edX: are they valued the same? It's hard to say what will hold more weight – because, again, it all depends on the context of that particular student. But if I were to give a general answer to that, it would be [that] programs that have a (more or less) rigorous application process – even if it is for a summer program – are going to be more selective.
[For] courses through Coursera/edX, most students can pay and then join. Compare something like that to a program where students are committing a full 2-3 weeks to learning and developing – actually working on a project (which Inspirit AI provides). It's going to indicate that the student has experience in developing these other skill sets – that maybe Coursera and edX just (as an online, passive course) may not be able to offer.
Again, it is personal to every student. But (generally speaking) if you're a rising 9th or 10th grader and you're still exploring what it is you might want to major in for college, those experiential programs that I mentioned can be a great way to start exploring different subjects. Maybe even academic programs to get your feet wet (and understanding the academic part of what a certain major might be like) are great places to start.
Anthony Su: I'll add one other thing about this “Inspirit AI compared to Coursera” question. The other thing to consider is: Inspirit AI, yeah, that's an online course, but there's an instructor. They're walking the student through projects, and helping students throughout. Coursera and edX are self-paced: the student needs to have that motivation to go through it.
This is a similar idea, I think: there's another question, “Is it better to do a personal project compared to a project through a summer program?” The issue here is also the same thing: does the student have the intrinsic drive (and the skills, and the resources, and the mentorship or help) to finish that project? Or, frankly, is it better to have that paid educational experience where you're able to do these things a little bit more smoothly?
I don't think, necessarily, paying for a summer program is going to be shunned from the admission reader's perspective – but it is impressive when a student is able to set their mind on it and say, “I'm gonna work on this particular app,” and they're able to get it done over the summer.
Sophia Chang: Absolutely. And to add to that, Anthony, like you mentioned, there are some [students] who already have the strong drive to create something on their own – which is wonderful, which is great – but most students initially do need that support and structure.
What I usually like to advise my students is: if you're a rising 9th or 10th grader (but really any grade) and you're really unsure, start with programs. They can give you more structured support. And then, from there, it'll inspire you to maybe start creating your own project or research project the following summer. And, maybe, that following summer you'll be more equipped with more resources and knowledge to then do something on your own, or try something more creative on your own.
Anthony Su: Definitely.
Questions?
Anthony Su: We'll go deeper into Q&A as well, but if you're interested in a free consultation, we'd start talking about specific student cases or majors, and things like that. You'll definitely get a more detailed experience in a free consultation to get an idea of what programs might be a good fit [for] a particular student or a particular interest.
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Anthony Su: I will also add: we're going to do something different. We're going to do a webinar office hours next week [on] Monday. I put the meeting ID, but we'll also send an email to everyone that registered for this webinar. It's meant to be one hour. Sophia and I will be there, and you can come with any questions that you have about summer programs. Or if you wanted to get a longer response on one of the questions you submitted today, we'll definitely have more time to talk about that as well.
Q&A
Anthony Su: We've got quite a few questions, so we'll try to get through all of them!
There's a question around this idea of “personal” projects: “What do they need to achieve in order for it to be meaningful in the admissions office?”
This, I guess, is a question of, “Does a social media account need a certain number of followers?” or, “Does a blog need a certain number of subscribers?” or something like that. How would you gauge that for the admissions reader, maybe for a 12th grader that's about to submit their applications?
Sophia Chang: That's a great question. And that's why the personal statement essays on these applications become particularly helpful: regardless of how many followers you have – or how much profit something generated – what's really important (what they're really looking for) is the motivation, and what inspired the student to want to even get involved in the first place.
And so, regardless of what the outcome may have been, students can write about that experience: what inspired them? What motivated them? And perhaps even the process of joining and participating in a particular community service opportunity. Their experience becomes more important than just the results of what happened.
I don't know if that answered the question but, again, it is going to be contextual: based on what it is that the student is trying to achieve or would like to achieve through their involvement (short-term, long-term) – and letting that lead the way is going to be helpful in considering what's going on.
Anthony Su: Absolutely. The context and (of course) what the students had to start from as well.
Sophia Chang: I will also mention: if a student has a hobby or a personal interest, great! Find a community service opportunity related to that; it's great if it's related to a student's personal hobbies. But if it's something that can be related back to the student’s intended major, even better, of course!
For example: a student who was pursuing business had an idea to create an app that would help his grandparents’ plants get watered. (I guess his grandparents asked him to water their plants for them while they were gone.) His idea was, “Why don't I create an app where the sprinklers will automatically water plants when the owners are gone?” That was what he worked on early in high school – 9th or 10th grade. And [he] developed it over the years.
A personal (“passion”) project like that can go a really long way in a lot of ways – because it's directly related to the student’s intended major, but it's also his interest: it's his hobby to put his ideas on paper, and then bring them to life.
Anthony Su: Another related question: “Can my students start a blog or a podcast in between 10th and 11th grades, or is it too late?”
If it's also a personal interest, and this is something that the student wants to do, that's a factor in this as well. Of course, if you're able to do it, and you're able to do it well, and you can also present it for admissions, that's great – but there definitely needs to be that intrinsic drive as well. Instead of just, “I want to study psychology. Let me make a podcast about psychology, just so that I can show that evidence!”, hopefully there's a little bit more behind that.
Sophia Chang: And I would say it's never too late. There's an ideal time, perhaps, for certain things – but if the inspiration strikes and the motivation is there, it's never too late.
And a lot of these things (like these personal projects, or community service) don't have to be just during the summer. If a student has time, even on weekends during the school year, it's something they can work on year-round.
So the answer to, “Is it too late?” – it's never quite too late. Unless it's after you've submitted your applications to colleges, of course!
Anthony Su: This was the question I saw about a personal project over the summer compared to a research program. They said they heard from other consulting companies that doing the personal project is much better than a research program or something tied to a university or a company. Sophia, do you have an idea for this one?
Sophia Chang: There are different factors to consider. One would be, what does the student want to potentially study? If it's [something] like entrepreneurship, it's probably better going to [the] personal project route – just to show that entrepreneurial skill. But if you're more of a life sciences or STEM student, research might be more beneficial: developing the research skills that would be necessary for that particular field.
It really does come down to the student, and other factors like that.
Anthony Su: That's a good way to put it. If you're doing entrepreneurship, yeah, you could probably go and create a small business on your own. If you want to research quantum mechanics, maybe it's better to do it at a university – and get a professor to help you out there!
Again, it's also this idea of intrinsic and self-motivat[ation] in a personal project – compared to, “I'm getting inspiration from a class or group of classmates or a professor.”
Sophia Chang: You brought up a great point: getting inspired is key. If a student needs to get inspired, perhaps it is better to just join a program: to start to get inspired, to meet professors, to meet others that can motivate them and inspire, maybe, a project for the next summer.
Anthony Su: Let's do this one, because we haven't talked about humanities majors specifically: “A lot of summer programs seem to be geared towards STEM majors. How would you advise humanities students?”
If a student's interested in English or history or something like that, what would we advise there?
Sophia Chang: A lot! You can get very creative for humanities students. It just depends on: how does a student want to apply their interest in [the] humanities?
For example, if you're interested in history, are you interested in applying that knowledge towards law? Towards policy-making? If so, let's find a way for you to get involved with politics, or in leadership training programs, what have you. [For] students who love writing, blogs are great. A student of mine wrote blogs for the L.A. Times high schoolers – it's called HS Insider, and LA Times actually runs it! She's submitted quite a few blogs!
So if you are a humanities student, find how you want to apply that humanities skill or interest out in the real world – and then, from there, work backwards to find what opportunities you can find within that realm, industry, or area.
Anthony Su: I also want to clarify: you can do research for humanities majors as well. There are research programs for students that want to do history [or] study writing – things like that – as well.
Sophia Chang: Exactly.
And programs like Inspirit AI actually run the whole gamut of different subject areas: including mental health and AI, law and AI… Students don't initially see the connection between technology and humanities. Programs like that will give students that insight into how they can relate, and how they do work together, going forward.
There are a lot of different ways those students can plan their projects and such.
Anthony Su: A question around certificates, or courses [that] will offer a certificate. It looks like there are certain ones that'll ask you to pay for the certificate. The question was, “Does the certificate itself matter all that much?”
Sophia Chang: It can't hurt. But it probably wouldn't add as much benefit as you'd expect.
Anthony Su: Yeah. One of the things to consider [is]: “How easy is this course?” If it's an edX course, it's probably not too hard for students to finish the class. Do you really need to present that you finished that class? Not particularly.
And again, another thing to consider – I think we mentioned this earlier – with the summer plans is not necessarily that you need to present everything you do over the summer. You can take an edX class just for fun and say, “This is something that I learned.”
Sophia Chang: Absolutely. Although I think when it comes to specific technical skills (some students do take courses in particular coding languages and whatnot) that could be helpful – just to really demonstrate that you did complete the full course, and have a good understanding.
In terms of, “How much could it help?”, I think it just may not be as advantageous as one might think for some types of programs that are readily accessible – like some courses on edX and whatnot.
Anthony Su: Two questions related to work. “If you're gonna do part-time work as a student, would it be helpful for a STEM student to have something related to their subject that they're interested in?” Or maybe some ideas for a student that would want to have a STEM-related job.
Sophia Chang: It'd be great if they do – wonderful. But it doesn't have to relate. Not everything has to relate to their major. For paid jobs, the most important thing is that it's showing real-life responsibility – regardless of what that industry or job might be related to.
So I wouldn't necessarily seek jobs that are related to your major for the sake of that. If it does happen to relate, great! No harm. But it wouldn't be a priority.
Anthony Su: Fair. And, yeah, hard for a 16- or 17-year-old to work in a chemistry lab, I would assume!
Similar question about jobs: the student had a part-time job managing a podcast for four years. Is this something that you think should be presented as part of a college application? Is this valuable experience – enough to put on the résumé?
Sophia Chang: One of the things that stands out to me about that question is the student was involved in it for four years. A lot of times, regardless of what that job might have entailed or what it was related to, colleges like to see depth of commitment (over breadth of different kinds of commitments). That commitment – in and of itself – will go a long way in indicating positive things!
So yeah, any sort of experience where you’re having to commit (and have committed for this long) is going to be valuable.
Anthony Su: I saw a question about biotech and a question about social justice. We can try to emphasize those two in particular. Again, there are going to be a lot of options for different majors as well.
I guess we don't have grade levels for the students, but that would also be helpful.
Sophia Chang: So biotech. Stanford lecture series: I think it's two-and-a-half-week virtual lectures on biomedical/bioengineering-related topics. It also covers (I believe) neuroscience, neurochemistry, what have you. That comes to mind. UC Santa Barbara SRA is a research program that's a little bit more extensive. It runs for four whole weeks on the campus [in] Santa Barbara.
Something that's less commitment-heavy would be the Stanford lecture (which, this summer, is going to be all online, and it's two and a half weeks – as opposed to [the] four whole weeks on campus that the UC Santa Barbara SRA program requires). Different options – but they're going to have different commitment levels – for bioengineering-related.
Anthony Su: And then for social justice?
Sophia Chang: “Social justice” is a big general area!
If the student is interested in getting into policy-making: LEAP – I think it's an acronym for a Leadership Program – that's offered in the San Jose area (if they're local to the Northern California area). LEAP, I believe, does offer something where they get trained on leadership aspects – and they connect students to internships in the community. In the past they were at the mayor's office! That could be one option.
Anthony Su: I remember one called YAPA – but I feel like that's more public policy or policy-making than directly social justice. But if you're interested in advocacy [and] policy writing, that would be a good fit.
During election years (and we're coming up to one) there tend to be a lot of volunteering opportunities for students. If there's a particular cause or a proposition or a candidate they want to support, that tends to be also a good way for students to get involved.
Okay, last few questions – but if anyone wants to change their mind and add more questions, feel free.
This one's a long one. The question is basically asking, “Is it important for the project or the activity that I do to have some kind of practical value?”
Sophia Chang: Practical value?
Anthony Su: Yeah, for me “practical value” is subjective – which is why I'm having a little bit of trouble trying to figure [it] out exactly.
I'll put it this way: I'll give some examples. Maybe you're gonna fundraise for a non-profit, and you raised a thousand dollars over the summer. I guess that's “practical value.” Whereas maybe you build an app, but you aren't able to release it. That's not “practical value.” I think that's [what] they're talking about.
How important is that – that the activity can be [for the] public good, or shown to many people?
Sophia Chang: If it can reach a lot of people, or if it has big results, wonderful. Fantastic! But I think (more so than like the practical results of it) what's most important is the process: the experience itself of actually creating, starting, organizing, managing it – whatever it might be that went into actually creating it or being part of it. That experience – that process – is probably more important, in some ways, than just having these amazing results. (Although if you have both, even better!)
I think the process of that experience is going to hold a lot of weight, and go a long way.
Anthony Su: Yeah.
And I kind of see where the question is also coming from. Maybe they have an older student who's got a really competitive major [and] they are trying to stand out for it. But to an extent it is still early on, when you have the time to explore and try these various interests! And, again, you're not sending literally everything you do in the summer. You can take an edX course just to see if you like forensic science – or any other interest you have.
That's still important for the student themselves. It doesn't need to impact the world at that point.
Sophia Chang: Right.
Anthony Su: Questions about internships and reaching out to startups – like cold-emailing. It was also just a general question about any recommendations for how students should reach out to startups. Definitely résumés [and] cover letters (or things like that) are important.
Sophia Chang: Yeah. Having a working résumé to attach to any cold emails that students send out will be very important and helpful. But I always really stress to students: if you do end up joining a summer program, get the professor's name – or the names of mentors you really enjoyed listening to – and find them on Google or LinkedIn. Just reach out! And yes, attach a résumé to it – but also express just the curiosity that's driving you to want to look for opportunities with them.
Résumés are a good way to break that ice (if you will) – to show them what you have done so far, or would like to do. Some students I know have created student LinkedIn profiles. (There are student profiles they can create as high school students.) And they can use LinkedIn as another resource to look for people to connect with through cold messaging.
Anthony Su: A question about research – and publishing research. Where would students start if they're looking to do that, or work towards that?
Sophia Chang: Getting published is not an easy thing to do – especially for high school students!
But yes, if it's something that a student really would like to pursue, there are certain organizations that help with that process. There are never any guarantees! No organization can say, “We guarantee that you will get published.” But there are a couple of ways you can strive for that: programs like Polygence, [or] even Lumiere. I believe Lumiere has a particular program option where students can get help with submitting their research work to get published: they'll help with connecting students to certain scientific journals for possible publication if accepted. (There is a fee attached to some of these programs that give you support in getting possibly published.)
Other ways I've seen my students be considered for possible publication were through research programs themselves. For example, last summer I had a student who did the UCSB RMP research program. She worked with a professor who was working on some research. At the end of the six-week research program at Santa Barbara, that professor reached out to her and actually asked if she wanted to continue helping her with the research for possible publication. So if the researcher’s publication does get published, that student's name will also be on there!
So it can happen in different ways. It can happen through actual organizations that can give you support in that way, or students can start seeking out those opportunities through research programs that they may be participating in at some point, too. I have a student who might get published along with his researcher through ASDRP. (ASDRP is another research organization based in [the] San Jose area.)
It can come about in different ways! (The opportunity. Not necessarily the guarantee of publication – but those opportunities can arise in those ways.)
Anthony Su: We'll do this one as the last question: community college courses, just highlighting how that impacts GPA, or calculations there. Can we just quickly discuss that?
Sophia Chang: Yes. I'll just keep it simple: ask your high school counselor. Because every high school will calculate those things a little bit differently! Some courses do transfer, others don't. Whatever your situation is, those specific questions are best for actual high school counselors at [your] school. They'll have the details on that.
Anthony Su: And if you're concerned if credit is going to go through [to] college, admissions officers will also have some clarity on that. Usually we go by the UC A-G requirements as a rough guideline – but best to make sure!
Sophia Chang: If you do take any courses outside of high school, even if it doesn't show up on the high school transcript, it's important to know that you can still share on your college application that you did take outside courses at the college level – and simply send a second transcript from that particular school or organization.
So yes, it's something that can and does happen.
Anthony Su: Okay. Thanks to everyone that joined us. We covered so many different topics, and so many questions today!
We'll send out a recording from the webinar today. We'll also do those webinar office hours. And we have a webinar coming up in two weeks as well: we're talking about early decision [and] early action as folks are going to start thinking about college lists soon – making sure it's very clear how we should be making those decisions. (Especially with early decision, a binding agreement – that everyone understands how that works.)
All right, thanks everyone. Have a good rest of your night! And thank you, Sophia, for joining.
Sophia Chang: Thank you!