Elite summer programs might not be worth the thousands they cost

In eighth grade, my parents desperately wanted me to go to a summer program. I searched for hours trying to find the perfect one. Once I found a science program that seemed fit for me, I was ready to start my application until I saw the tuition: a whopping $6,000.

Summer programs are meant for students who want to explore an interest they have in a certain topic. These programs are usually held and conducted by colleges such as Stanford EPGY and Columbia. Courses can range from math and science topics like engineering and research to humanities topics like writing and philosophy. Almost all of them require a student's transcript, recommendation letters from teachers and personal essays.

With more students applying to these summer programs each year, application rates are skyrocketing, along with the price to attend. Some colleges like Stanford are asking students to pay more than $5,000, knowing that many students will pay the exorbitant fee in order to put a Stanford summer program on their resume. Yet what people don’t realize is that many of these elite programs are money-making schemes that hardly affect one’s chances of admission at that particular college or any other.

For example, EPGY, Educated Program for the Gifted Youth, is a prestigious summer program hosted by Stanford to which several students at Saratoga dream of going. Students stay there for three weeks to meet new people and also explore the area around them. The courses students choose provide them a chance to delve into their interests by engaging in research and activities.

This summer program costs around $7,000 for one three-week session. Even though the tuition covers housing, school materials and meals, it is still a hefty price to pay, especially considering high school students can take summer classes for a fraction of the cost at a local community college.

One of the prime methods universities like Stanford use to court students is to send them personal invitations to apply to summer programs, with the sole intention of raking in application fees. To the student, this email may seem like they are special, but in reality, thousands get this email. And since students want to apply to Stanford, Stanford gains more money from application fees and tuition fees.

Instead of throwing away money on summer programs, students can find other ways to explore their passions through internships and jobs. For example, a research internship creates a personalized, one-on-one connection between the mentor and the student and sometimes comes with little or no cost. Furthermore, most would argue that internships and jobs look even better than summer programs on resumes because they require more individual work and initiative.

In addition, there are many more affordable summer programs out there that are of arguably better quality than those hosted by elite schools. For example, the Science Internship Program at UC Santa Cruz provides a 10-week invigorating research experience for $3,000, half the price of a three-week Stanford program.

Summer programs should be opportunities to explore new areas such as engineering and philosophy that are not emphasized in school, not a rat race to get into college. The brand name associated with many of these summer programs does not help the students at all and is instead a way of ripping parents off.