The transition from high school to college can be rather daunting for any student that hasn’t been exposed to college life. But, fear not! There are plenty of pre-college programs designed to prepare young adults for the college experience (not to mention, they look great on college applications). Although it may be too late to join for the summer of 2016, some applications are rolling, and it is incredibly important to do research on these programs before you get into them.
For the arts inclined: Summer Pre-College at Carnegie Mellon is a six week intensive program that can prepare you for college life as anything from an Architecture major to a Theatre major. Applicants must have completed their sophomore year and be between the ages of 16 and 18. More information can be found here.
For the future politician: Freedom and Justice in the Western Tradition at Cornell University is a three week program aimed to introduce students to the bases of our modern legal and political systems. Accepted students will be enrolled in a 4 credit Intro to Political Philosophy class. The program is under the direction of Isaac Kramnick, the recently retired Professor of Government at Cornell. Applicants may range from being a current high school sophomore to a current high school senior below the age of 18. More information can be found here.
For the innovative engineer: The University of Vermont Pre-Engineering Summer Academy is a 4 week STEM camp (2 weeks on campus and 2 weeks online) that offered 3 UVM college credits. The program is open to students that have completed 10th, 11th, or 12th grade. Students will be instructed by Victor Rossi, who has taught of range of CAD/CAM systems at UVM since 1985. More information can be found here.
For the legal hopeful: The Pre-College Summer Academy at the University of Pennsylvania is a rigorous three week program that gives students an insight into the legal world. Students will attend lectures, revise assignments, participate in discussions, prepare for UPenn Summer Moot Court, and get the opportunity to explore campus life. The program will be led by only the most outstanding faculty at UPenn Law. More information can be found here.
Don’t worry if nothing on this list jumped out at you; there are hundreds of programs designed for any future major you can think of. Best of luck in your future summers of discovery!