Even though summer is months away, high school students should already start thinking about summer plans. Do they want to attend a competitive summer program? Work on an intensive volunteer project? Job shadow or get a job to gain work experience?
No matter what students decide to do, the summer break can be an excellent time to explore interests, enhance skills or gain experiences that could shape their academic and professional futures. By attending competitive summer programs, students can jumpstart their hands-on experiences and growth as a student.
Benefits Of Attending A Competitive Summer Program
Students might think the main benefit of attending a competitive summer program is the boost they get on their resume. Colleges will see that they attended an intensive program and automatically think they are top students who deserve a place at their school. While that isn’t entirely true, there are other benefits to attending a program.
- Academic Enrichment – Students are often exposed to classes like physics, chemistry, economics and English but rarely have access to specialized coursework beyond their high school curriculum. This allows students to dive deep into a new subject area they haven’t had a chance to fully explore yet. Some programs will focus on forensic science, drug discovery or renewable energy—topics that might also influence a student’s choice of a major or career path.
- Exposure To College Life – Many of these competitive summer programs are hosted on a college campus, meaning students will travel away from their friends and family, potentially for the first time. Through these extended programs, students will get a taste of what college life will be like, which might also influence what type of college campus they see themselves at in the coming years.
- Skill Development – Students spend all school year sitting in a classroom and learning, but summer programs allow students to hone skills like leadership, research or analytic thinking in real-world situations. These experiences can help a student stand out from their peers when applying to colleges.
- Networking Opportunities – For potentially the first time, students might interact with people they haven’t grown up with. Networking with like-minded peers and experienced mentors could open the doors for future internships, collaborative projects or mentorship.
- Personal Growth – Being away from home will give students a sense of independence as they learn to adapt to new environments and manage time effectively. These skills can be highlighted later when students are writing their college admission essays.
Competitive And Free Summer Programs
Location: AASIP internships will be offered in fully remote, fully in-person or hybrid formats. Students will work with their mentors to determine which format is best for the student.
Dates: June 18 – August 9, 2024
Cost: Free, but there is a $25 application fee.
Age requirements: Students must be 15 or older by the program start date for remote internships and 16 or older by the program start date for in-person or hybrid internships.
Deadline: February 4, 2024
Overview: Students work one-on-one with researchers at George Mason University. There are a variety of different areas of focus, including astronomy, forensic science, computer modeling, robotics, renewable energy, drug discovery, proteomics and molecular medicine, chemistry and biochemistry. Students also have the opportunity to get their papers published in a scientific journal and present their work at conferences.
Location: Lubbock, TX (Texas Tech University)
Dates: June 16 – August 1, 2024
Cost: Free, including on-campus meals, room/board and weekend activities. Students will also receive a $750 stipend.
Age requirements: Students must be 17 years of age by the program start date.
Deadline: February 15, 2024
Overview: This program is open to 12 students interested in gaining hands-on practical research experience. Students can choose from a variety of disciplines and will work with a mentor to complete a research project. Students aren’t limited to only natural sciences or mathematics; they can also explore the humanities and fine arts.
Location: Stony Brook, NY (Stony Brook University)
Dates: July 1 – August 9, 2024
Cost: Free, but students are responsible for transportation/dining costs if they are commuters or residential costs if dorming on campus.
Age requirements: Must be a current junior and must be at least 16 by the time the program starts.
Deadline: February 7, 2024
Overview: Students will be paired with a Stony Brook faculty mentor to work on a research project. By the end of the program, they will have written a research abstract and created a research poster. They will also participate in faculty research talks, special workshops and events. To qualify for the program, students must be nominated by their school. Each school can only nominate two students.
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Dates: July 10 – August 3, 2024
Cost: Free; students also receive a $1,000 stipend at the end of the program
Age requirements: At least 16 years of age and must have completed at least one high school science course.
Deadline: March 31, 2024
Overview: Twelve students who share a passion for biomedical research will be selected. No prior research experience is necessary. Students will spend three weeks working at a biomedical laboratory, learning cutting-edge techniques, reading literature and presenting their work at the end of the program. This program gives heavy preference to students enrolled in the School District of Philadelphia.
Location: Research groups are located on all NIH campuses.
Dates: Varies
Cost: Free; students will receive a stipend.
Age requirements: Must be 17 years or older by June 15, 2024 and a current junior or senior in high school. If you are under 18 by June 15, 2024, you must live within 40 miles of the NIH campus where you will intern.
Deadline: February 16, 2024, at noon ET. All reference letters are due before February 23, 2024, at noon ET.
Overview: Students will be placed in a research group and will have the opportunity to research biomedical, behavioral and social studies with opportunities to explore basic, translational and clinical research. During the internship, students will work full-time on the research, which they present at the end of the program.
Location: Stanford, CA (Stanford University)
Dates: June 10 – August 1, 2024
Cost: Free; students will receive a stipend of at least $500 and up to $2500, depending on the family’s need.
Age requirements: Must be 16 years or older by the start of the program and must currently be a junior or senior in high school.
Deadline: February 24, 2024
Overview: SIMR is targeted at students from diverse backgrounds interested in STEM. Students will learn to conduct scientific research with Stanford faculty, postdoctoral fellows, students and researchers. There are eight research areas: immunology, stem cell and regenerative medicine, neurobiology, cardiovascular biology, cancer biology, bioinformatics, genetics and bioengineering. Students can also opt to participate in a bioengineering boot camp. The program heavily favors students in the Bay Area and accepts around 50 students each year.
Location: Medford, MA (Tufts University-Medford)
Dates: July 5 – August 18, 2024
Cost: Free, but housing is not provided.
Age requirements: Must be 16 years old by the start of the program.
Deadline: Typically in April
Overview: Students will spend six weeks doing biomedical research, investigating biomedical questions and learning research techniques. Students will dive into a particular field of science throughout the program. Participants are also encouraged to use their TUBERS projects to participate in local and national science competitions.
Location: Monongahela National Forest, WV
Dates: June 29 – July 20, 2024
Cost: Free
Age requirements: Must be a high school junior or senior.
Deadline: February 29, 2024
Overview: Throughout the program, students will engage in a variety of different types of programming, including a lecture series from STEM professionals, direct studies designed to help students dive deeper into a particular topic, STEAM programming in physical, natural and computer sciences, seminars on non-STEAM topics, outdoor adventures and an arts program. Students will also travel to Washington, DC, to meet congressional members and attend a panel discussion held at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.