Are Pre-College Programs Worth Your Time?

Are Pre-College Programs Worth Your Time?

Imagine spending your summer at Columbia or Stanford as a high school student, taking a college course on a topic that fascinates you while being immersed in the student life of your dream school.If this sounds like an ideal scenario to you, then pre-college programs may catch your eye. They are offered by many top universities for high school students to spend anywhere from one to seven weeks taking a course (or more) on their campus. You can select from a list of available classes that often feature a broad range of disciplines—from computer science to anthropology to creative writing.The qualifications for the programs differ, with some allowing only rising juniors and seniors to apply and others, like Cornell, needing TOEFL scores from international applicants. The number of programs available are abundant, and it takes careful research to find a pre-college program that might best fit your needs.Let’s take a look at important factors for deciding if a pre-college program is worth your time.

How Do Colleges View Pre-College Programs?

Students interested in highly competitive universities like Cornell and Columbia commonly hold the misconception that acceptance into their pre-college programs means that their chances of admissions increases significantly, so they dedicate many of their summers to these opportunities.However, because the bar for acceptance into these programs are lower and many students attend them (especially those from higher income families that can afford the program and travel fees), pre-college programs do not move the needle much in your favor in and of themselves.There are a few exceptions to this rule. The Yale Young Global Scholars, where a significant number of attendees have gained acceptance to Yale, is one such example; but it’s unclear whether this is due to students having attended the pre-college program or the high quality of students who apply.Where you participate in a pre-college program does not make a big difference. Though it could help you to demonstrate interest, most officers will read taking a three-week class at Duke with the same level of intrigue as a three-week class at Harvard, given that the classes cover similar subjects.  Pre-college programs can certainly provide you a meaningful experience, and if you take a class in a subject you might potentially major in in college, you’ll gain valuable insight that may sway your future decision. But we have found that most students overestimate the significance of these programs in the college admissions process, giving them more weight than is due.

What Is the Opportunity Cost?

Summer is a precious time, especially for rising seniors with new club leadership duties to manage and college applications to begin. Be sure to consider carefully your responsibilities and goals to determine what makes most sense for you. Especially if you have previously participated in a pre-college program, it might be best to spend your time building the impact of your personal projects and activities; adding a unique spin to these extracurriculars can often help you to stand out from the crowd more than pre-college program would.Rising sophomores and juniors, however, have more time to explore different options, so the opportunity cost of a pre-college program is lower. Still, be sure to consider your options. Back home, you could balance different activities at the same time—volunteering at a nonprofit you care deeply about while taking a course at the local community college.The duration of the program is important too. One-week courses are much less of a commitment than a six-week one, though the latter tends to be more substantial in content and allows greater opportunities to develop relationships with professors.  Think about all the other ways that you might spend your summer and consider whether the pre-college program would offer you considerably better opportunities in terms of personal growth and intellectual development.

Have You Been Away from Home?

Besides the chance to learn from world-class professors, pre-college programs offer students a taste of what it is like to attend a university sometimes thousands of miles from home. It can be quite jarring if going away to college is the first time you spend a significant amount of time away from home.You may need more time and emotional energy to adjust to your new environment once you arrive on campus and your family departs. However, if you have experienced a pre-college program beforehand, you will come in more mentally prepared for what it is like to live in the dorms, attend classes as a college student, and make friends with a dorm full of strangers.

Pre-College Programs are Right for Me! What’s Next?

If you have decided that a pre-college program makes sense for you, then go ahead and send in your application, which mirror many of the requirements for college applications. It’s important that you look up the deadlines for the applications, because each school has a different policy. Some have a rolling deadline, where students can apply until all their spots are filled; you may have to call the school to find out for sure. Deadlines are usually earlier for international students because they need to obtain a F1 visa in order to study in the United States.  If you have the opportunity to select which course to take, we recommend trying something that is aligned with what you hope to study in the future. If, for example, you’re interested in finance, then try an entrepreneurship class; if medicine calls you, then try biology. Picking something a little off-beat can also help you to launch a future personal project related to the subject.The expert admissions consultants at Wise World Prep have helped hundreds of students maximize their potential of being admitted to their top choice colleges and universities. Over 20 years, we have successfully guided students through each stage of the application process – from choosing competitive high school courses to building an appropriate college list to drafting winning essays to writing persuasive update and appeals letters. We would be happy to answer your questions and partner with you to create a successful admissions roadmap.Ready to get started? Schedule a complimentary 20-minute conversation today!Want to stay informed? Subscribe to our newsletter.See what others are saying about us