The brochure is on your kitchen counter. There’s a kid laughing on a beautiful campus. Or maybe it’s the very official letter saying your child has been nominated.
So are summer programs worth it? I can answer that as a college counselor, and as a mom who wrote the check. We paid for a summer business program for my son Josh. I don’t think it helped him with admissions at all. I would also tell you it was super helpful.
Both of those are true, and the difference between them is what I want you to know before you spend a dollar.
The one question to ask first
What are you trying to get out of it?
If the answer is a leg up in admissions, that’s not realistic. Admissions readers know these programs cost money, and they know a summer on a campus isn’t the same thing as being admitted to that college.
Take Harvard’s two-week Pre-College Program, which costs $6,250 for summer 2027, plus a $75 application fee, with no college credit. Harvard’s own website says attending doesn’t guarantee admission. It’s a lovely reminder to read the fine print on the feeling a brochure gives you.
What a good program can actually do
Some programs really are helpful. Here’s what they can do:
- Help a kid figure out what they want to do. If she comes home and says “I hated that,” that’s a great result. You found out for the price of a summer program instead of two years in the wrong major.
- Give them raw material. Josh’s program had a capstone project, and it gave him real things to write about. A program where a kid sits in a room and gets a certificate probably can’t do that.
- Let them try it on. Some kids figure out what kind of college they want by spending a few weeks at one.
Want more of this in your inbox?
If honest, mom-to-mom college talk like this helps, my free weekly newsletter is where I share it first. Sign up for the newsletter here.
What "nominated" and "selective" really mean
“Nominated” and “there’s an application” can both sound more exclusive than they turn out to be. So look at what the program asks for. Do they want a transcript, a recommendation, an essay somebody will really read? Then ask how many students applied last year and how many were admitted.
If they take everybody who can pay, that doesn’t automatically mean no. It just means you’re shopping, not being selected.
And the programs admissions people notice most are often the ones money can’t buy. MIT’s Research Science Institute is one of the most selective summer programs in the country, and it’s free.
Your questions before you spend a dollar
- What are we trying to get out of this?
- What will my kid actually do there? Is there a project? Does anything get finished?
- Does my kid want to go? Would she be excited if no college ever found out?
- What would he be doing otherwise?
- Can we do this without it hurting?
What I love for a kid's summer
My other son, Jake, didn’t do a program. He worked as a counselor at a camp he’d been going to since preschool. It was all summer long, it showed responsibility, they did service projects, and it helped him develop his personal statement. I think it really helped his admissions profile.
Here’s what I love:
- Governor’s school. A lot of states have one, and some are tuition free. Ask your school counselor how kids get in.
- Internships. They don’t have to be fancy.
- Community service your kid actually cares about.
- Part-time jobs. I really do love a part-time job.
- Shadowing. Your kid can reach out to someone who has the job he’s curious about and ask to shadow or help out.
If you saw that $6,250 and felt something in your stomach, please hear me: it’s not necessary. You’re building a whole profile, and it doesn’t have to be one thing.
What this looks like by grade
Freshman parents: you do not need a program. Let her try things and notice what she keeps going back to.
Sophomore parents: this is a nice summer for trying something on. A short program or a day of shadowing can tell you a lot.
Junior parents: the summer before senior year is the last one that shows up on the application. Think about raw material, and know that some applications close early in the winter.
What this looks like by grade
- Freshman and sophomore parents: no list needed yet. Just notice what your kid likes and start collecting their answers to “big or small, close or far.”
- Junior parents: this is the year to look beyond the flagship on purpose. Include at least one visit to a school that isn’t the obvious choice.
- Senior parents: make sure there are other schools on the list your kid would truly be happy at, and when offers arrive, compare real numbers, not names.
Not sure what matters for your kid's grade right now?
Join me at my next free workshop, My Kid Is in ___ Grade. Now What? We’ll walk through what actually matters this year, what can wait, and I’ll answer your questions live. Can’t make it? Register anyway and I’ll send you the replay. Save your spot here.
