High School students are generally bewildered of what they can do in the coming summer! For them attending Summer Programs is an excellent option which will polish their educational and extracurricular skills.

What are Summer Programs for High School Students?

With information being added to existing ocean of knowledge with each passing year, joining one of the summer programs has become almost mandatory for students in high school.  Summer programs are actually college programs or precollege programs. They give these students an insight on what college studies would be like, effectively preparing them for various aspects of their college education apart from the other available options.

Why Students Should Join High School Summer Programs?

With the choices including preparatory and academic courses, broadly speaking high school student gets a plethora of benefits for joining summer programs-

1. Learn to Mix with students from other culture and countries.
2. Understands the transition between the self-studies required in universities and monitored studies in schools.
3. Can choose subjects towards which he or she has more affinity and become friends with other students with similar interests.
4. Develops confidence as an individual.
5. Learn about academic, social, and cultural aspects when he lives at the campus.
6. Becomes familiar with desired vocations.
7. Becomes familiar with a higher level of language used at university levels
8. Becomes aware of various admission processes that he or she would need to comply with for joining the university
9. Becomes familiar with the subject of interest in greater depth
10. Gets experience to sit in the classroom similar to universities unlike the schools

Importance of High School Summer Programs

Joining a High School Summer Program not only gives them the best option to spend their summer but also give them the opportunities to explore the college life. Students can explore the fields which they want to pursue in the future, become familiar with the culture of other countries, and can also make friends around the globe. Moreover, it would be an incentive if they can earn college credits by entering the high school summer programs.

Some Popular High School Summer Programs

There are deadlines for joining summer college programs so students desirous of joining such programs should be applying for such courses at the earliest.

Following is the list of some famous and approved High School college programs worldwide. Students enrolling in some of these programs are also given financial assistance or scholarships.

Programs for high school and college students at Wake Forest School of Medicine

Wake Forest School of Medicine is offering Programs for high school and college students. Students gain exposure to numerous healthcare specialties over a five-day period. Applicants must be a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior for the school year 2013-2014 and must have complete the application process and meet Camp Med Summer Program Guidelines. Deadline for applications is October 1, 2015.

VolunTEEN Program

Applications are invited for After School Program and Summer Program for the year 2015-2016.  Students must be14 by August 1 and have completed their freshman year of high school to apply for the After School Program. Students must be 14 by May 1 and have completed their freshman year of high school to apply for the summer program. VolunTEEN slots are limited. Applications for the 2016 Summer Program will be available Monday, January 11, 2016. The deadline for the 2015 – 2016 After School Program Applications is June 5, 2015.

ASPIRE High School Mentoring Program

ASPIRE (APL’s Student Program to Inspire, Relate & Enrich) is offering High School Mentoring Program. Students must have an interest in the STEM fields and a demonstrated ability to work and learn independently. The programme is of 6–8 weeks from June to August, 15–40 hours per week, flexible depending on arrangement with mentor. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen and must be in 11th or 12th grade in high school (rising juniors and seniors for the summer session). Applications are due June 30, 2015.

Berkeley Summer Pre-Collegiate Program for High School Students 

Applications are invited for Pre-Collegiate Program for High School Students for summer session. Domestic students who live outside of the Bay Area may apply to Summer Sessions through our partner agency as well as Visiting international students who live outside the United States may not apply for the Pre-Collegiate Program through the Summer Sessions online application process. Pre-Collegiate Program participants may only enroll in courses offered in Session C (eight weeks: June 22—August 14) and Session D (six weeks: July 6—August 14). Tuition is based on the number of units you are taking. Visiting high school students pay $460 per unit with classes ranging from one to five units.  The deadline to apply is  June 5.

High School Students summer program at Harvard Summer School

Applications are invited for summer programme for high school students at Harvard Summer school. This is a seven-week summer program for domestic and international students who graduate in 2015, 2016, or 2017. Late registration for courses is now open through June 24. Requires full payment of all charges at time of registration, including $50 nonrefundable registration fee and $200 nonrefundable late registration fee.

Miami Summer Scholars Program offered by University of Ohio

This is two-week course for gifted juniors as well as seniors. Basically, the program is based on academic content which is taught by the faculty at the college. It’s a residence program. There are workshops for test prep, scholarship application, financial aid, various processes for admission to the college, etc.

Financial Aid– For financial aid, please contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance.

Experience University Life in University of British Columbia, Canada

The University of British Columbia (UBC) offers Experience University life to students in the age group of 15 to 18. This is an international program. There are various programs of different durations. Some may last for two weeks; others may be for four weeks and yet others for six weeks. Basically, it introduces students to university life.

Financial Aid–  Contact UBC authorities for more information on financial aid or scholarships.

Faculty of Medicine’s Youth Summer Program

Applications are invited for Faculty of Medicine’s Youth Summer Program. During the Law YSP, students in grades 10–12 (or their grade equivalent) spend between one and six weeks at the University discussing legal concepts, learning about the realities of our legal system, and applying their knowledge in a variety of engaging interactive activities. The Youth Summer Programs are only offered as an “All-Inclusive Package” which includes the following 3 Meals/Day, Academic Courses and Materials, Accommodation, Supervision, Evening Events.

Nacel International’s High School (study abroad) Program in Australia

As the name suggests, this program includes traveling to foreign countries and exposure to language as well as culture. There are different options as per the student’s interests. Some of these also include adventure trips. The programs focus on work, study, cultural blending, and volunteering. Some of these programs may be only for summer semester whereas others may be for an entire year. They have a website with details about deadline for applications, cost of courses and any other instructions. On average, the program at Perth in Australia for spring or fall semester may cost $1,066 for each week. Therefore, the total cost of such semester programs is $17,050. In contrast, the academic year program would cost $32,200 or $1,006 for each week. These rates are for year 2014-15 only.

Summer Program of Tufts University in Talloires, France

This annual program is better known as Tufts summit. It will be held between June 30^th and July 26^th in 2015. As of now the details of costs have not been updated, and it is expected that the relevant information will be available in November. Basically, the program creates diverse cultural environment of people from across the globe. French gets its due importance. Students are taught diplomacy skills and are introduced to International politics. The program focuses on French culture, local sites visits, historic sites visits, places of natural beauty, and other places. Outdoor activities such as swimming and hiking are also included in the program.

John Hopkins’s Center for Talented Youth, Princeton University

The CTY program on Global Issues offered by Princeton University is exclusively for students in Grade 10 and above, right through 12^th grade. Students are made aware of global issues, and their implications in the world that is becoming increasingly integrated. The object is to draw brightest minds to work on such problems. In 2015, the program will be held between June 28^th and July 17^th. John Hopkins University has a department for managingfinancial aidto students. Students do have to qualify, and all eligible students are provided with financial support, subject to the overall allocation towards the program by the university.

Academic Connections offered by San Diego-based University of California

This is a three-week program. Students are exposed to college level studies. They can select the subjects, and graduate students or well-known faculty teachers or researchers in that subject would help them on the subject of their choice. Students who have a minimum GPA (cumulative) score of 3.3 or more are eligible for this program provided that they are students from 9^th grade and above. Even 12^th-grade students are allowed to join this program.

COSMOS or the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science

This four-week residential program is held in summers. The program tries to improve their skills in STEM subjects, i.e., science, technology, mathematics and engineering. Scientists, faculty members, and researchers help in the process. There are facilities as well as laboratories with sophisticated equipments to help high students explore their thinking. University level programs are also available. The programs make students aware of various career and academic options related to STEM fields.

Scholarships– There are few scholarships for this program. However, some may be partial and other students may be eligible for full scholarships. Please contact the office of COSMOS for further details.

SSP or Secondary School Program from Harvard University

The university’s SSP program allows students to learn in an environment that has advanced equipments and comprehensive libraries, as well as laboratories. In addition, the students are guided by faculty at Harvard, who are amongst the best. Basically, students are introduced to new subjects. Studies are combined with other fun and adventurous activities in the program. The courses offered here, are real. Therefore, students can even earn college credits. As of the date, students in high school graduating in 2014, 2015, and 2016 can apply for admission.

Summer Academy Programs from Cambridge and Oxford Universities, UK

Students from High School in the age group of 15 to 18 can join OCSA, which is a program offered by UK’s Oxford university. Basically one week is spent at Oxford University, and the second week is spent at Cambridge University. It is a residential program, so students would have to stay at the respective colleges. Over 2000 students from different nationalities come for this program. There are three summer sessions for this program, each of two weeks. The 1^st session begins on 5^th July and ends on the 18^th.  The second one starts on the 19^th July and ends on the 1^st August. Third session is from August 2^nd through August 15^th.

Scholarships– Early birds Scholarships are given to the participants sending the application form. All tuition fees will be covered in this scholarship and it is on first come first serve basis.

Yale Young Global School from Yale University

Details about this course for 2015 may only be available in October 2014 on their website. It is only for outstanding students. The campus of the university is well equipped and large with several classrooms, historic residential accommodation, exceptional dining halls, etc. Students get to interact with fellow students, as well as professors on subjects of their choice. The session from June 23^rd to July 26^th is for PLE or Politics, Law, and Economics. The course that begins on July 9^th and ends on July 22^nd is based on IAS or International Affairs and Security. The last session starts on July 25^th and ends on August 7^th. This one is based on SPI or Science Policy and Innovation.

Financial Aid– Yale University offers financial aid under YYGS to those students who need such support. This grant excludes traveling expenses. Moreover, not everybody would be eligible for this aid.

Conclusion

Such programs can also be used effectively by students for decreasing the time that is generally taken for completing their under graduation courses. Earned College credits help to reduce such time more comprehensively. Attending such programs also has a positive effect on the student’s high school performance.