High School Summer Programs You Should Avoid

This "Do Not Apply" list is not about programs that are bad experiences—many are fun and educational. It is about programs that are bad investments for college admissions because they are essentially expensive products rather than academic honors.

In the admissions world, these are often called "Pay-to-Play" or "Cash Cow" programs.

The "Do Not Apply" Categories

1. The "Prestige Brand" Cash Cows

These are the most common traps. They use a university's brand name but are rarely run by the undergraduate admissions office or actual tenured faculty. They are revenue generators for the university.

• Red Flags: * Cost is $5,000+ for a few weeks.
  • Acceptance rate is high (often 50%+).
  • Rolling admissions (first come, first served).
  • Marketing emails that say "You have been selected/nominated!" (These are mass mailings based on PSAT lists).
• Specific Examples to Avoid (for admissions clout):
  • Brown Pre-College Programs (Summer@Brown)
  • Harvard Secondary School Program (unless you take a real credit-bearing course and get an A, it's just expensive enrichment).
  • Columbia University Summer Immersion
  • Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS): Nuance alert. This one is more selective than Brown’s and has some prestige, but it has become significantly less exclusive in recent years. It is no longer a "golden ticket."
  • Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies (The "Institutes" are better than the general "Session," but still expensive and less impactful than their research internships).

2. The "Future Leader" Conferences

These companies often have names that sound official or governmental. They send fancy letters with gold seals saying a student was "nominated" to represent their school.

• The Reality: The "nomination" is usually automated. Almost anyone who can pay the tuition is accepted. They are often run by for-profit companies, not the universities where they are hosted.
• Specific Examples to Avoid:
  • National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC)
  • National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF) / Envision Experience
  • Congress of Future Medical Leaders
• Why: Admissions officers know these are commercially run camps. They show you have wealthy parents, not that you are a "future leader."

3. The "Voluntourism" Trips

These are expensive trips abroad (Costa Rica, Thailand, Fiji) where students spend a few hours building a wall or teaching English and the rest of the time touring.

• Red Flags: * Costing $3,000+ to go "volunteer" in a developing country.
  • Agencies like Rustic Pathways or Projects Abroad.
• Why: It can signal privilege and a lack of genuine, sustained commitment. Admissions officers prefer local community service (e.g., working at a local food bank every Saturday for two years) over a one-week expensive trip abroad.

The "Green Light" List: High-ROI Programs

If you are looking for programs that actually impress admissions officers, you want Merit-Based programs. These are often free or low-cost, and the barrier to entry is intellect, not money.

Don't Waste Your Money

If you have to pay thousands of dollars and the application takes 20 minutes: It’s a vacation/camp. Go if you want to have fun, but don't list it as a top academic achievement.

If it is free/cheap and requires essays, test scores, and teacher recs: It is an honor. Apply.

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