Attending a pre-college program is a productive way to spend your summer while learning more about prospective college majors and careers. Depending on the nature of the program, a pre-college program may help bolster your college applications by highlighting your academic strengths and extracurricular interests. Pre-college programs take place during the summer and often range from 1-6 weeks. The most popular time to attend a pre-college program is during the summer before your senior year.
There are countless pre-college programs offered throughout the country, so regardless of your individual interests or goals, there’s likely a program that’ll be of interest to you! Check out our article on Pre-College Summer Programs for High School Students to learn more about specific programs.
The benefits of doing a pre-college program
Pre-college programs can help students gain more confidence and independence within a social and academic setting. Attending college is a big step and attending a pre-college program can help ease this transition by helping students know what to expect during their freshman year. Pre-college programs can also help students prepare for college-level courses and gain a better understanding of what college admissions officers look for in an applicant. They can also help you stand out from your peers by Making Your College Application Memorable.
Learning more about prospective majors and careers
Volunteer hours, internships, and job shadowing opportunities are valuable learning experiences and for some careers, they are required. Students interested in becoming doctors, lawyers, and veterinarians should start seeking out educational opportunities as soon as possible. A great way to start gaining practical experience and logging volunteer hours is to enroll in a pre-college summer program focused on your prospective career.
And if you don’t know what you want to major in? That’s okay, too! Pre-college summer programs are a great way to explore your academic interests. Then you’ll be one step closer to choosing a college major. Either way, attending a summer pre-college program is a valuable use of your time.
Learning more about prospective majors and careers
Pre-college programs can help you better define your interests. For example, if you like programming and computer science, you can do the Cybersecurity program at Syracuse and determine if it is something that you want to pursue or not. Similarly, if you are interested in pursuing pre-med, enrolling in a medical or science-based pre-college program, such as the Health Careers Institute at Dartmouth, may help you decide whether or not you want to pursue a medical career.
Volunteer hours, internships, and job shadowing opportunities are valuable learning experiences and for some careers, they are required. Students interested in becoming doctors, lawyers, and veterinarians should start seeking out educational opportunities as soon as possible. A great way to start gaining practical experience and logging volunteer hours is to enroll in a pre-college summer program focused on your prospective career.
And if you don’t know what you want to major in? That’s okay, too! Pre-college summer programs are a great way to explore your academic interests. Then you’ll be one step closer to choosing a college major. Either way, attending a summer pre-college program is a valuable use of your time.
Experiencing dorm life
In addition to exposing you to potential college majors, pre-college summer programs often require you to stay on campus. This is a great opportunity to experience dorm life and socialize with your peers. For many students, this will be their first time living away from home. And for some students, this may be their first time sharing a room. Having a roommate for a couple weeks is good practice! Especially if you’ve never had to share a room before.
Living with someone is always a learning process, especially if they are a stranger, and you’ll need to have time to adjust. Spending 1-6 weeks in a dorm room will help students adjust to the idea of dorm life — and everything that that entails. Remember, living away from home is a lot of extra responsibility. It means having to decide when to go to bed, when to wake up, what to eat, when to study, when to spend time with friends. etc.
Overall, attending a pre-college program can help you shape your expectations for college and ease you into your freshman year. If you are nervous about knowing how to manage your anxiety when leaving for college, attending a pre-college program, even for a week, may help you adjust more smoothly when the time comes.
Familiarizing yourself with a specific college
For example, some students may decide to go to a liberal arts college — on account of its academics and reputation — but not think too much about the fact that it’s located in a rural setting. Moving from a city (especially a big city) to a rural location is a big adjustment, and it’s definitely not for everyone! The same is true of students from rural locations who decide to attend colleges located in cities. Regardless of the academics, extracurriculars, reputation, financial aid package, etc. sometimes, a college simply is not a good fit. This is why visiting college campuses is important!
You can (and should) visit college campuses, but sometimes, a short visit isn’t enough time to decide if you feel comfortable somewhere. Attending a pre-college program for a month, however, will give you a pretty good idea of whether or not you can see yourself succeeding at that particular school.
Familiarizing yourself with a specific college
If you are interested in attending a specific school, see if they offer any pre-college courses or programs. This may help you get a taste of what your life there might be like. Not only will a pre-college program help prepare you for college courses, but it will also help you decide if you like the location of the school, as well as its campus culture.
For example, some students may decide to go to a liberal arts college — on account of its academics and reputation — but not think too much about the fact that it’s located in a rural setting. Moving from a city (especially a big city) to a rural location is a big adjustment, and it’s definitely not for everyone! The same is true of students from rural locations who decide to attend colleges located in cities. Regardless of the academics, extracurriculars, reputation, financial aid package, etc. sometimes, a college simply is not a good fit. This is why visiting college campuses is important!
You can (and should) visit college campuses, but sometimes, a short visit isn’t enough time to decide if you feel comfortable somewhere. Attending a pre-college program for a month, however, will give you a pretty good idea of whether or not you can see yourself succeeding at that particular school.
Developing a greater sense of independence
For many students, attending college is the first time they will be living by themselves. This change can be extremely difficult, especially because the change is so sudden. If you attend a pre-college program, however, you can experience a little of this independence beforehand.
During a pre-college program, you will be responsible for attending your meals on time, practicing good spending habits, completing chores you might not be used to (such as laundry), and more. You will also have to budget your time. You will be responsible for getting yourself to class on time and completing all of your work.
College freshmen are often overwhelmed by all of these added responsibilities. This is why having a chance to practice is a good thing!
Making new friends
For many students, the prospect of making new friends once they get to college can feel overwhelming. It’s important to remember that you are alone! All of your peers will have similar concerns and insecurities. And everyone will be making new friends at the same time. So you definitely aren’t alone. That being said, having a mini practice run can help you feel a lot more confident when you do start your freshman year.
Making new friends
Chances are, a lot of like-minded people will end up attending the same program as you. This is a great opportunity to learn how to make new friends within a college setting. And who knows, these people may end up being your lifelong friends! Or maybe even your coworkers someday. Knowing how to make new friends is a valuable life skill. And like all skills, it’s something that you practice!
For many students, the prospect of making new friends once they get to college can feel overwhelming. It’s important to remember that you are alone! All of your peers will have similar concerns and insecurities. And everyone will be making new friends at the same time. So you definitely aren’t alone. That being said, having a mini practice run can help you feel a lot more confident when you do start your freshman year.
Enhancing your college applications
Attending a pre-college program may help bolster your college applications by highlighting your academic strengths and extracurricular interests. You may even choose to write about your pre-college program in your college application essay or ask a faculty member for a college letter of recommendation. College admissions officers value ambitious students who are willing to challenge themselves and try new things. Attending a pre-college summer program is a big deal. And college admissions officers recognize this. Not only are you spending your summer vacation in a productive and meaningful way, but you are demonstrating your ability to thrive in a variety of settings.
What types of pre-college programs are there?
There are countless pre-college summer programs for high schoolers to consider. No matter what your academic and extracurricular interests may be, there is sure to be a program out there for you!
For instance, if you’re interested in STEM, you’ll want to be sure to check out MIT’s summer programs. Or maybe you’ll want to apply to Duke University’s From Gel to Sell: Research, Ethics, and Business of Biomaterials or their Healthcare Professions and Modern Medicine summer programs. Or Vanderbilt University’s Research Experience for High School Students.
Alternatively, if you’re most interested in the arts and humanities, you may want to consider other programs, such as:
What to consider when choosing a program
Pre-college programs are a great opportunity to challenge yourself, both personally and academically. That said, there are several important factors to consider when choosing which programs you want to apply to. In this section, we will review the three most important considerations: cost, location, and duration.
Cost
Pre-college programs vary in cost. From hundreds of dollars (mostly for online college programs) to $6,000, these programs are not cheap! You and your parents will need to consider if these costs are worth it, especially when you consider that they will most likely be subtracted from your college funds. Talk with your parents and counselors about financial planning for college to determine if this is something you want to invest in. Depending on your family’s income, you may qualify for financial aid or scholarships.
It’s also worth noting that some pre-college summer programs are free to minority students and students with significant financial need. For example, the following pre-college summer programs are all free for low-income students:
For other, less affordable pre-college summer programs, be sure to research scholarships that may help you cover the costs. Many students work the first or second half of the summer to gather the money and use it towards their college program. Some options can help you afford these courses, but you have to be determined to do the research and send out scholarship and financial aid applications.
Location
It’s also worth noting that some pre-college summer programs have commuter and online options. While students won’t have the “dorm life” experience, these options are both cheaper, and often more convenient for students, especially if cost and/or location is an issue.
Location
Before you get your heart set on a specific program, you need to determine if the location is going to be an issue. Some schools are located far from major cities and thus you need special transportation to get there. For example, Cornell students usually have to take long bus rides to arrive on campus and UCSB students who are out of state are forced to pay high fees to fly into the small airport in Santa Barbara or spend hours on a bus from Los Angeles. You also need to remember that you need to add the cost of transportation to the already high cost of tuition and board.
It’s also worth noting that some pre-college summer programs have commuter and online options. While students won’t have the “dorm life” experience, these options are both cheaper, and often more convenient for students, especially if cost and/or location is an issue.
Duration
How long are you willing to spend away from home at a pre-college summer program? Determine how long you will need to get other things done during the summer. For example, if you are going into your senior year, it would be a smart idea to leave yourself some extra time to study for the SATs and ACTs and to start your college applications. Students may have other responsibilities at home, too, that may limit how long they can be away from home.
Key takeaways and moving forward
Preparing your college applications and knowing how to choose the right college for you can feel overwhelming at times. Attending a pre-college program may help grant you more clarity into this process. If, however, you feel like you could benefit from professional guidance during your college planning process, reach out to learn more about our services.
In the meantime, check out some more of our blog posts, including: Over 50 Extracurricular Activities that Look Good on College Applications and Best Extracurricular STEM Activities for the Biology Applicant.
Key takeaways and moving forward
Pre-college programs can be a great opportunity for high school students, especially students who are actively exploring career paths. Pre-college programs foster independence, creativity, and critical thinking skills while allowing students to socialize and get a glimpse of dorm life. That said, there are other meaningful ways to spend your summers to prepare for college and your prospective career. In addition to researching pre-college programs, you may also want to review other summer planning opportunities.
Preparing your college applications and knowing how to choose the right college for you can feel overwhelming at times. Attending a pre-college program may help grant you more clarity into this process. If, however, you feel like you could benefit from professional guidance during your college planning process, reach out to learn more about our services.
In the meantime, check out some more of our blog posts, including: Over 50 Extracurricular Activities that Look Good on College Applications and Best Extracurricular STEM Activities for the Biology Applicant.
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