College Summer Programs
By Kylie Gifford

In elementary school days, summer was a time to sleep in, watch cartoons all day long, and sip lemonade by the pool. In high school, however, the summertime holds several opportunities to prepare for the future, and it has evolved from a chance to be lazy, into a chance to be productive. Many students take summer school classes at local high schools to get ahead for the coming year. But if you are interested in using the summer to ready yourself for higher education, there could be more exciting options for you. Colleges all over the United States, as well as in several other countries, offer a range of classes in their summer seminars that give you a real taste of the college experience.
Harvard University, one of the most prestigious schools in the nation, invites sophomores, juniors, and seniors to be a part of its Secondary School Program (SSP). For forty years, Harvard has housed students from all over the world as they took courses in drama, writing, math, and more. Participants in the program choose either one or two courses to complete in one eight-week session, or one course to complete in one four-week session. While students experience college life in Cambridge, they can take the classes they are most interested in, most of which apply for college credits. Senior Sarah Rose, who participated in the program last summer, said, “It was one of the best things I have ever done. It was just an amazing experience all around.” (For more information visit www.ssp.harvard.edu).
If the east coast is not for you, USC offers summer seminars to a maximum of 350 outstanding students. This rigorous program is led by the same faculty who teaches USC students. Over a four-week period, seminar students get to experience the excitement of Los Angeles while earning three units of elective credit. This program is more intense than the advanced high school classes available, as well as the broad courses offered by other pre-college programs.