You Have Options:
Opportunities putting your best foot forward can bring, now and later.
Ignore the cultural taboo: You can and should mix business with pleasure.
There are a million amazing opportunities waiting for high school and college students to learn, explore an area of interest (or the world) that you can both have a lot of fun doing and put on your resume.
Check out this inspiring story of someone who took the problem of paying for summer school into his own hands.
There are a million amazing opportunities waiting for high school and college students to learn, explore an area of interest (or the world) that you can both have a lot of fun doing and put on your resume.
Check out this inspiring story of someone who took the problem of paying for summer school into his own hands.
High School Summer Opportunities:
Summer School
The traditional idea of summer school sometimes had a negative connotation, but it can also be a really fun way to explore a new city, college campus and take a course that really interests you. There are a vast variety of made-for-high-school summer programs at colleges across the US with a wide variety of costs and scholarship availability.
If you are interested in these opportunities, get on the research process early. Let people know that you are interested in something but are unsure how to proceed or how to find funding. You might be surprised by what you find. Here are a few options that are available to you:
The Joyce Ivy Foundation Summer Scholars Program
The Summer Scholars program makes it financially possible for talented female high school students to attend summer academic programs at some of the most rigorous and selective colleges and universities.
Summer Scholars receive full and partial scholarship grants, based on demonstrated financial need, to apply to summer program tuition, room and board, and travel expenses.
Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES) Program
Through the MITES program, OEOP offers three rigorous residential and online academic enrichment programs for promising high school juniors who are interested in studying and exploring careers in science and engineering. All programs are completely free of charge. Participants only have to provide their transportation to and from the program.
Questbridge College Prep ScholarshipQuestBridge's College Prep Scholarship provides more than 1,500 awards that give outstanding low-income high school juniors the knowledge they need to compete for admission to leading colleges. If you are a high school junior with a strong academic record and an annual family income of less than $60,000, we encourage you to apply. Many past award recipients have also been part of the first generation in their family to attend college.
Summer Camp
There are a huge variety of summer camps out there for anything that you can imagine. The summer can provide a great opportunity to either enroll in one of these camps (many offer scholarships, or there are local scholarships that can be used to help you fund them, although these generally are allotted quickly – so apply early!) which can both be fun and a great opportunity to work on a specific skill (playing an instrument, a sport, working on an artistic skill) or to find employment as a camp counselor at one of them, which can also be a rewarding experience. Number 1 Tip: Research early! Applications to some programs can be due six months or more before the summer starts. Here are a few places to start your search.
Upward Bound
Upward Bound has two different components: the summer program and the academic year program. Students usually apply to the summer program during the second semester of the sophomore year and come to the Bowdoin College campus for a six week experience in the summers before both the junior and senior years of high school. During the academic year, Upward Bound counselors visit students in their schools every month to provide academic counseling, help arrange for tutors in their college prep (as needed), supply information about college and careers, etc. All students participate in Upward Bound year-round.
Dirigo Boys State
Students in their junior year who are interested in government should let their teachers know that they would be interested in participating in this program, a week long, all expense paid, mock government program in Maine. It is a great opportunity to test out a possible field of interest, a lot of fun, and looks great on college applications.
Louis August Jonas Foundation
The Louis August Jonas Foundation operates a full scholarship, international leadership summer program for teenagers selected for their character and leadership potential. We bring together a diverse group of extraordinary, highly motivated young people from twenty-five countries around the world to participate in Camp Rising Sun - seven weeks of programming carefully designed to promote personal growth, leadership skills, a service ethic, and intercultural understanding.
CIEE
CIEE offers a wide variety of international travel programs and options, some of which include hefty scholarships (two Gardiner students in pervious years have received a fully paid trip to South Korea through the program). It is also a great jumping off point to look a studying abroad (becoming immersed in a foreign culture and language can be an incredibly rewarding experience), and spending a summer or Gap Year[1] doing a Work Abroad[2] program in a foreign country.
National Security Language Initiative for Youth
The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y), sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students to learn less commonly taught languages in summer and academic-year overseas immersion programs.
TASP
A Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP) is a six-week educational experience for high school juniors that offers challenges and rewards rarely encountered in secondary school or even college. Each program is designed to bring together young people from around the world who share a passion for learning. Telluride students, or TASPers, attend a seminar led by college and university faculty members and participate in many other educational and social activities outside the classroom.
TASS
This summer, thirty-six bright, motivated high school sophomores will participate in one of two challenging six-week college-level courses in African American studies and other fields at the University of Michigan and Indiana University. Telluride works with university faculty to create exciting courses designed to inspire young people to explore the the histories, politics and cultural experiences of people of African descent and a variety of other topics. Because we believe that students should have the opportunity to pursue their ideals, we cover all the program costs, including tuition, books, room and board, field trips, and facilities fees.
Bank of America Student Leaders Program
Our Student Leaders® program connects young leaders with employment that helps to give them the necessary tools and resources they need to advance. Through the Student Leaders® program, we recognize high school juniors and seniors who step outside of the classroom to contribute service in their own communities and beyond. Student Leaders® are awarded paid summer internships with local nonprofit organizations and participate in a Student Leadership Summit held in Washington, D.C.
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' Youth Programs
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' youth programs empower the next generation and establish long-lasting ties between the United States and other countries. Exchange programs focus primarily on secondary schools and promote mutual understanding, leadership development, educational transformation and democratic ideals.
[1] It is becoming increasingly common for students to differ their acceptance to college for a year (this means that they have already accepted a spot at the school) to travel, work abroad, pursue an internship and both take a break from school and gain life experience before starting their college career.
[2] Many countries allow students or people under a certain age to obtain limited visas to work in the country for a specified period of time. Canada and Australia are to great examples of countries that have excellent work abroad options for US students. This is a great way to gain work experience as well as to fund an international trip.
The traditional idea of summer school sometimes had a negative connotation, but it can also be a really fun way to explore a new city, college campus and take a course that really interests you. There are a vast variety of made-for-high-school summer programs at colleges across the US with a wide variety of costs and scholarship availability.
If you are interested in these opportunities, get on the research process early. Let people know that you are interested in something but are unsure how to proceed or how to find funding. You might be surprised by what you find. Here are a few options that are available to you:
The Joyce Ivy Foundation Summer Scholars Program
The Summer Scholars program makes it financially possible for talented female high school students to attend summer academic programs at some of the most rigorous and selective colleges and universities.
Summer Scholars receive full and partial scholarship grants, based on demonstrated financial need, to apply to summer program tuition, room and board, and travel expenses.
Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES) Program
Through the MITES program, OEOP offers three rigorous residential and online academic enrichment programs for promising high school juniors who are interested in studying and exploring careers in science and engineering. All programs are completely free of charge. Participants only have to provide their transportation to and from the program.
Questbridge College Prep ScholarshipQuestBridge's College Prep Scholarship provides more than 1,500 awards that give outstanding low-income high school juniors the knowledge they need to compete for admission to leading colleges. If you are a high school junior with a strong academic record and an annual family income of less than $60,000, we encourage you to apply. Many past award recipients have also been part of the first generation in their family to attend college.
- Full scholarships to summer programs at leading colleges and universities
- Individualized college admissions counseling by QuestBridge staff or Quest college students
- All-expense-paid visits to college campuses
- College application advice from college students via telementoring
Summer Camp
There are a huge variety of summer camps out there for anything that you can imagine. The summer can provide a great opportunity to either enroll in one of these camps (many offer scholarships, or there are local scholarships that can be used to help you fund them, although these generally are allotted quickly – so apply early!) which can both be fun and a great opportunity to work on a specific skill (playing an instrument, a sport, working on an artistic skill) or to find employment as a camp counselor at one of them, which can also be a rewarding experience. Number 1 Tip: Research early! Applications to some programs can be due six months or more before the summer starts. Here are a few places to start your search.
Upward Bound
Upward Bound has two different components: the summer program and the academic year program. Students usually apply to the summer program during the second semester of the sophomore year and come to the Bowdoin College campus for a six week experience in the summers before both the junior and senior years of high school. During the academic year, Upward Bound counselors visit students in their schools every month to provide academic counseling, help arrange for tutors in their college prep (as needed), supply information about college and careers, etc. All students participate in Upward Bound year-round.
Dirigo Boys State
Students in their junior year who are interested in government should let their teachers know that they would be interested in participating in this program, a week long, all expense paid, mock government program in Maine. It is a great opportunity to test out a possible field of interest, a lot of fun, and looks great on college applications.
Louis August Jonas Foundation
The Louis August Jonas Foundation operates a full scholarship, international leadership summer program for teenagers selected for their character and leadership potential. We bring together a diverse group of extraordinary, highly motivated young people from twenty-five countries around the world to participate in Camp Rising Sun - seven weeks of programming carefully designed to promote personal growth, leadership skills, a service ethic, and intercultural understanding.
CIEE
CIEE offers a wide variety of international travel programs and options, some of which include hefty scholarships (two Gardiner students in pervious years have received a fully paid trip to South Korea through the program). It is also a great jumping off point to look a studying abroad (becoming immersed in a foreign culture and language can be an incredibly rewarding experience), and spending a summer or Gap Year[1] doing a Work Abroad[2] program in a foreign country.
National Security Language Initiative for Youth
The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y), sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students to learn less commonly taught languages in summer and academic-year overseas immersion programs.
TASP
A Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP) is a six-week educational experience for high school juniors that offers challenges and rewards rarely encountered in secondary school or even college. Each program is designed to bring together young people from around the world who share a passion for learning. Telluride students, or TASPers, attend a seminar led by college and university faculty members and participate in many other educational and social activities outside the classroom.
TASS
This summer, thirty-six bright, motivated high school sophomores will participate in one of two challenging six-week college-level courses in African American studies and other fields at the University of Michigan and Indiana University. Telluride works with university faculty to create exciting courses designed to inspire young people to explore the the histories, politics and cultural experiences of people of African descent and a variety of other topics. Because we believe that students should have the opportunity to pursue their ideals, we cover all the program costs, including tuition, books, room and board, field trips, and facilities fees.
Bank of America Student Leaders Program
Our Student Leaders® program connects young leaders with employment that helps to give them the necessary tools and resources they need to advance. Through the Student Leaders® program, we recognize high school juniors and seniors who step outside of the classroom to contribute service in their own communities and beyond. Student Leaders® are awarded paid summer internships with local nonprofit organizations and participate in a Student Leadership Summit held in Washington, D.C.
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' Youth Programs
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' youth programs empower the next generation and establish long-lasting ties between the United States and other countries. Exchange programs focus primarily on secondary schools and promote mutual understanding, leadership development, educational transformation and democratic ideals.
- American Youth Leadership Program
The American Youth Leadership Program is a 3 to 4 week intensive, leadership training exchange program for U.S. high school students and adult mentors to gain gain firsthand knowledge of foreign cultures and collaborate on examining issues with global significance. - Benjamin Franklin Summer Institutes
The Benjamin Franklin Summer Institutes are intensive academic institutes hosted by a U.S. college or university and focus on global issues, in addition to leadership and community service. - Congress–Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX)
The Congress–Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX) offers American students a fully-funded academic year in Germany. Participating students develop critical intercultural skills while learning what it is like to live and attend school in Germany. - English Access Microscholarship Program
The English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) provides a foundation of English language skills to talented 14-18 year-olds from disadvantaged sectors through after-school classes and intensive summer sessions. - German American Partnership Program (GAPP)
The German American Partnership Program (GAPP) allows groups of U.S. high school students and German secondary school students to visit a each other's community and school. In both directions, students live with a host family. - Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study (YES) Abroad
American high school students in the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study (YES) Abroad program spend one academic semester or year studying abroad in select countries with significant Muslim populations. Students live with host families, attend high school, engage in activities to learn about the host country's society and values, and educate others about American culture while learning about their host country’s culture. - TechGirls
TechGirls is an international exchange program designed to empower young girls to pursue careers in the science and technology sectors. - Youth Ambassadors
The Youth Ambassadors Program brings together high school students and adult mentors from 25 countries across the Americas to promote mutual understanding, increase leadership skills, and prepare youth to make a difference in their communities. - Youth Leadership Programs
Youth Leadership Programs foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement among young Americans and their international peers. Exchanges are three to four weeks in duration and involve youth ages 15-18, and adults who work with youth.
[1] It is becoming increasingly common for students to differ their acceptance to college for a year (this means that they have already accepted a spot at the school) to travel, work abroad, pursue an internship and both take a break from school and gain life experience before starting their college career.
[2] Many countries allow students or people under a certain age to obtain limited visas to work in the country for a specified period of time. Canada and Australia are to great examples of countries that have excellent work abroad options for US students. This is a great way to gain work experience as well as to fund an international trip.