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Syracuse’s Summer College Gives High School Students Many Learning Opportunities

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Craig Meister

For sixty-four years, Syracuse University has given rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors the opportunity to explore potential majors and careers through renowned summer pre-college programs.

This summer, high school students are able to choose from over 100 college-level courses offered on Syracuse’s campus, online, or in a hybrid format. Courses exist in a diversity of subjects – from Architecture and AI to Crisis Management and Sports Analytics or Management. Regardless of the course(s) one chooses, all Syracuse Summer College students build their resume or portfolio, enhance their college applications so they stand out to college admissions, and get to test out a subject before committing to their undergrad major. Students also have the chance to earn a Certificate of Completion, Syracuse University credit, or a noncredit transcript.

The scholarship deadline Syracuse’s Summer College is March 1, 2024, and the final application deadline is May 1, 2024, and applications are reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. Yet, the most popular courses fill quickly, so if you are interested, apply soon. If you have any questions, you can call +1 315-443-5000 or email Syracuse to learn more.

Boston University offers 3 summer journalism programs to high school students

Posted on January 21, 2024 by Craig Meister

High school students interested in pursuing a career in journalism, writing, communications, or photography, may want to research and apply to the Boston University Summer Journalism Academy, hosted by Boston University College of Communication.

According to Ermolande Jean-Simon, Student Programs Manager Boston University Summer Journalism Academy, for fourteen years, BU’s summer program has educated high school students about critical skills in news reporting, interviewing, and writing through courses taught by award-winning working journalists, including Pulitzer Prize winners Lara Salahi and Rochelle Sharpe. Students interested in visual storytelling also have the opportunity to learn from veteran photojournalist Stephen Haines of The Boston Globe.

Regardless of which program students choose, BU’s summer program challenges high school students to step outside their comfort zone and experience life as a working journalist through one of three course pathways:

  1. an on-campus residential program from June 24 to July 12, 2024 (for students with some journalism experience);
  2. an on-campus photojournalism program from June 24 to July 12, 2024 (for students interested in visual storytelling); or
  3. a two-week learn-from-home program for high school students at all experience levels, starting June 17, July 1, and July 15.

Applications for the on-campus session are due on April 19. Applications for learn-at-home sessions starting June 17, July 1, and July 15 are due on May 10. Students who apply, are accepted, and fully registered by March 8 can save $400 off the full fee for the on-campus academy or $200 off the full fee of the learn-from-home academy.

There are limited need-based scholarships and financial aid available to students; students should email BU for more information. For more information about the Summer Journalism Academy, visit www.summerjournalism.org.

High School Students Interested in Entrepreneurship Should Consider Babson Summer Study

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Craig Meister

Babson College, which is located just thirty minutes from downtown Boston, Massachusetts, is an increasingly popular choice for high school students seeking to study entrepreneurship during their undergraduate careers. And what better way to get a taste of what a Babson undergraduate experience could be like than by taking part in a Babson summer pre-college program exclusively for high school students?

High-achieving high school students interested in engaging in an immersive multi-week experiential online summer program during which they are able to discover what it means to be an entrepreneur should certainly consider Online Babson Summer Study, which takes place from July 8 through July 29, 2024. The program helps high school students cultivate core career skills and a sharp entrepreneurial mindset for overcoming challenges in any setting and in any role while earning four college credits from Babson, which is often ranked as offering one of America’s best undergraduate programs for entrepreneurship.

According to Beth Goldstein, the Senior Director of Babson’s Youth Impact Lab, Babson Summer Study is specifically designed for rising high school juniors and seniors (current tenth and eleventh grade students) who want to participate in interactive online sessions with Babson faculty, world renown entrepreneurship experts, and Babson students while designing a social impact solution with peers from around the world. They will also learn how to apply Babson’s Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® framework for solving problems, and develop the leadership competencies needed to address real-world problems.

Additionally, through Summer Study, rising high school juniors and seniors learn how to assess their abilities and passions to determine which ones they want to strengthen, learn about the U.N. Global Goals and how they connect to challenges in their own communities, and develop prototypes, deliver a Rocket Pitch, and evaluate the feasibility of their team’s social impact solution.

Goldstein encourages prospective students and their families to participate in one of three virtual information sessions taking place over the coming weeks:

  • Wednesday, January 17, 2024, 7:00 PM Eastern Time
  • Tuesday, January 23, 2024, 9:00 AM Eastern Time
  • Monday, February 5, 2024, 8:00 AM Eastern Time

To learn more about the Online Babson Summer Study experience and to register for an information session, visit babson.edu/high-school-programs. The early bird application deadline is February 15, 2024 and the standard application deadline is March 15, 2024.

Elon’s On-Campus Summer Pre-College Journalism Program is Completely Free

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Craig Meister

Not all summer pre-college programs for high school students cost a pretty penny. In fact, one such program for aspiring journalists is completely free and takes place on one of America’s most beautiful college campuses!

While year three of the virtual component of the Emerging Journalists Program at Elon University starts tonight – January 16 – in the dead of winter, there is still time for current high school juniors (11th graders) to apply for Elon’s free, fun, and immersive summer journalism experience, which takes place on Elon’s campus from June 17 through 28, 2024.

According to Colin Donohue, Elon’s Emerging Journalists Program (EJP) Director, the on-campus and immersive summer residential learning workshop component of the EJP is open to rising seniors from diverse socio-economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds and is completely free thanks to a generous grant from the Scripps Howard Fund.

Elon University is a private university in Elon, North Carolina, which is a half an hour from Greensboro and an hour from North Carolina’s capital, Raleigh. Last year’s summer EJP cohort produced a newspaper, a forty-minute newscast, and a website. Here’s a video snapshot of what last year’s participants did while on Elon’s campus. Students who complete the summer immersion program are also assigned two mentors — an Elon communications student and a professional journalist — to help identify, report, and produce multimedia stories during their senior years of high school.

If you think the Emerging Journalists Program would be an exciting opportunity for you or your student, learn more and apply at www.elon.edu/ejp. Application review will begin soon and priority will be given to applications submitted before March 1.

Colorado College’s unique pre-college program for high school students now accepting applications

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Craig Meister

Will you be a rising eleventh or twelfth grade student in Summer 2024 and are you interested in the Block Plan at Colorado College? If so, then through a unique pre-college program, this upcoming summer is the ideal time for you to try Colorado College’s distinctive Block Plan, which is the hallmark of its undergraduate experience.

What is the Block Plan? In short, the Block Plan at Colorado College, which is in Colorado Springs, Colorado, allows students to study what they want, how they want, in ways that they simply cannot at any other undergraduate institution. Each course a student takes at Colorado College lasts three and a half weeks and during those three and a half weeks the student is taking that course and no others. One block is equivalent to one class on a semester plan. A class typically meets from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with additional class sessions for studio, labs, discussions, field trips in the afternoons. Professors have the flexibility to schedule classes in format and timing for optimal learning. Undergraduates typically take four blocks per semester and eight blocks per academic year, plus optional Half Block in the winter and Summer Session during the summer.

Why should all this matter to current high school students? Colorado College’s Pre-College Block (July 8 through 24, 2024) includes an array of academic courses, all taught by Colorado College professors and for college credit, which allows high school students entering grades 11 and 12 in Fall 2024 to get a sense of whether or not Colorado College and its Block Plan would be attractive to them for their full undergraduate experiences. Summer courses are available in areas as diverse as Introduction to Human Anatomy, Entrepreneurship & Business Management, and Introductory Astronomy: Your Place in the Universe.

Colorado College’s summer 2024 Pre-College application is open now, and need-based scholarships are available until March 1, 2024.

Notre Dame Now Accepting Summer 2023 Pre-College Program Applications

Posted on October 21, 2022 by Craig Meister Leave a Comment

Applications for Summer 2023 programming on University of Notre Dame’s campus, online, and abroad are now live – even though it’s only October 2022!

High school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are eligible to apply for these programs, which introduce participants to college life, give students a chance to earn college credit, and provide Notre Dame a valuable revenue stream. With that said, financial aid and grants are also available.

The selection of programs is quite impressive, and now that the shadow of the pandemic has lifted, I encourage students who are interested to take a serious look at Notre Dame’s impressive international offerings in Italy, South Africa, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Yet, the Indiana-based and online programming offerings are intriguing as well since they seem to be taught by Notre Dame faculty. The most important consideration of students making summer plans is to engage in challenging opportunities in which they have real interest. Sometimes that interest is new and can’t be explored during the school year. Other times that interest is ongoing and the opportunity represents a new way to pursue it relative to the way the student has pursued it so far. In either case, the student will get more out of the experience if he or she is truly invested in the content the program is going to explore, and Notre Dame certainly provides a lot of content that would be interesting to a lot of students.

Related: How to Avoid Bad-Pre-College Programs

Often the most selective summer programs fill up by December of January; therefore, if certain summer programs with Notre Dame or other universities are of interest to you, remember the oft-repeated maxim, “the early bird gets the worm,” and don’t wait to apply tomorrow – do it today. Good luck.

5 Smart Summer Tips for Wise Rising Seniors

Posted on June 30, 2021 by admissions.blog Leave a Comment

It’s summertime, which means that many rising high school seniors are pondering the best way to spend a couple of months away from schoolwork.

For some answers, we turn to college admissions expert and college application coach Craig Meister – on location on the beach – for five important oceanside advice videos for rising high school seniors to ensure that they make the best personal choices for how to make the most of summer break.

1. Best Summer College Application Completion Advice

 

2. Summer Job vs. Summer Internship

 

3. Pre College Programs vs. Local Options

 

4. Is Summer SAT or ACT Prep a Smart Use of Time?

 

5. Don’t Forget to…

Craig is a college admissions coach and founder of CollegeMeister. He previously held university admissions and high school college and career counseling positions in Baltimore, West Palm Beach, and Rio de Janeiro.

Use Winter Break to Make the Most of Summer Break

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Craig Meister

Take time in December to apply to the most coveted summer academic programs, internships, jobs, or community service activities if you want to have the best shot at getting them.

Yale Young Global Scholars app now open for Summer 2020

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Craig Meister Leave a Comment

The Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) application is now open, and YYGS is now actively recruiting interested students in grades ten and eleven (or the international equivalent) from all around the world.

Scholars taking part in YYGS experience life as a university student at Yale’s Old Campus while attending an academic session of their choosing. YYGS offers sessions in the humanities, social sciences, STEM, and a new cross-disciplinary track that incorporates all of the above.

Students taking part are able to meet peers from over 125 countries around the world (including all 50 U.S. states), and join discussions where students offer global perspectives.

YYGS also provides over $3.4 million USD in need-based financial aid equally to both domestic and international students, offered as discounts covering up to 100% of tuition costs. Those students who apply by the YYGS early action deadline receive a reduced application fee. If the fee poses a financial burden, students are able to submit a fee waiver.

The Yale Young Global Scholars Early Action Deadline is November 12, 2019 at 11:59PM ET; the Regular Decision Deadline is January 15, 2020 at 11:59PM ET. Students interested are able to apply at https://globalscholars.yale.edu/how-to-apply. Those with questions are encouraged to contact YYGS.

Washington D.C. Internships Distinguish American University’s Gap Program

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Sandy Clingman Leave a Comment

American University Gap Program, also known as AU Gap

Not all college-bound students begin their journey into higher education a few months after high school graduation. Some may be eager for a new, non-classroom experience, or want to explore the working world before settling in for years of study. Others may not have planned to take time off, but were admitted to their top-choice college not for the upcoming fall, but for the following spring; and want to spend their break, or gap semester, productively.

One distinctive possibility for any student interested in a productive gap experience is American University’s School of Professional and Extended Studies Gap Program in Washington, D.C., also known as AU Gap. Leveraging the resources and relationships of its unique location, AU Gap Program offers high school graduates an internship experience in the capital city for one or two semesters, as desired, with up to seven credits per semester.

“One semester can be a great option for students spending part of the year overseas,” says Terrell Austin, AU’s GAP Program Advisor. “It can also be ideal for students admitted to college for spring term.”

Alternatively, students who want to spend the full academic year with AU’s Program can either intern at two distinct sites, or continue with their first semester site. “Most students who choose to stay a second semester — about 20 percent of participants — choose a different internship experience,” says Austin, “just to try another field and gain some different experience and insight.”

AU’s deep and growing database of more than 3000 potential internship sites, actively managed by Amy Morrill Bijeau, Director of Experiential Education, offers job experiences in a student’s career field interest — including business, communications, international affairs, journalism, justice, politics, psychology, and the arts and sciences.

It is important to note that students are not placed into an internship; instead, just like in the real world, they must secure their position themselves, with guidance and support from the AU Gap team, who work closely with the student to get them prepared. “We focus,” says Austin, “on giving students professional development right from the start.”

The process requires some introspection and self-knowledge. “Students first need to articulate who they are and what type of job experience they are looking for,” says Austin. They also get help with their resumes and cover letters, as well as interview preparation and assistance with navigating the internship database.

Once students have selected 10-15 potential sites from the database, they begin the job-hunting process — sending out their resumes, making contacts, scheduling interviews. “In almost all cases,” says Austin, “students find their internship position within two weeks.”

Students work at their job site three days a week, mentored by their site coordinator, and earn up to four college credits. In a few cases, they may also be paid. “It happens occasionally,” says Austin, “as an unexpected bonus.”

Gap Program students also participate in an interactive weekly seminar led by an AU professor, with graded assignments and class presentations; prominent guest speakers; and field visits that could only be possible in D.C. — to embassies, congressional hearings, the Supreme Court, government agencies, non-profit organizations, conferences on a topic they have been studying, and more.

Besides enhancing the internship experience by helping students build communication skills, develop their network, and gain insight on world issues, the three-credit seminar keeps study skills fresh. It is also an exclusive offering that participants share only with their fellow interns (approximately 10-20 students).

“We think it’s important to foster a cohort experience for the AU Gap Program students,” says Austin, “where they are getting encouragement from each other and can also talk out any challenges they may be facing.”

To further facilitate the cohort relationship, AU Gap students live in the same residential hall (among full-time AU students), making it easier to build social relationships. As with all AU students, they have a meal plan, metro pass, and access to all campus facilities. Expenses are estimated at $18,000 per semester.

Who is a good candidate for AU Gap? “High-achievers looking for a real-world work experience before college,” says Austin. Students also need to be enthusiastic about the program, because although there is a lot of support, it requires a lot of initiative, too.

The application is rolling, so students may apply any time during their senior year of high school. A 3.0 GPA is required (exceptions may be made in unusual circumstances), as well as two letters of recommendation, two essays, and a phone interview Austin conducts with both the student and parents.

One further point for any student considering a gap experience with college credit: if you will be applying to college later, you may be regarded as a transfer student at some colleges (rather than as an incoming freshman), depending upon the number of credits you have earned, so it would be wise to inquire about this ahead of time at the specific institutions you are targeting. If you have already been admitted and either plan to ask for a deferral or are starting in the spring, make sure to receive permission for your specific gap program to avoid jeopardizing the original admission decision.

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