
Recommended Reading
General Guidebooks
The College Handbook. New York: The College Entrance Examination Board.
Exhaustive, complete and accurate. Available in the College Office.
Fiske, Edward. 2024. The Fiske Guide to Colleges. New York: Random House, Inc.
This is a balanced, intelligent basic guidebook; no home or school should be without it.
Franek, Robert. 2024 The Princeton Review: The Best 390 Colleges, 2025. New York: Penguin Random House, LLC.
Pope, Loren. 2012. Colleges That Change Lives. New York: Penguin. And, 2007. Looking Beyond the Ivy League. New York: Penguin.
Just overall very good thinking and research about various colleges.
Specialized Guidebooks
Barnard, Brennan and Rick Clark. 2023. The Truth about College Admission. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University
Press.
Brown, Stewart. 2018. The Student-Athlete’s Guide to Getting Recruited. Belmont, CA: SuperCollege, L.L.C.
Durso-Finley, Jeffrey and Lewis Stival. 2014. Understanding Athletic Recruiting. Self-published.
Fields, Timothy and Herndon-Brown, Shereem. 2022. The Black Family’s Guide to College Admissions. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Kravets, Marybeth and Imy Wax. 2019. The K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities or ADHD. New York, NY: Princeton Review Publishing, L.L.C.
Loveland, Elaina. 2017. Creative College: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers. Los Altos, CA: SuperCollege, LLC.
Articles of Interest
The College Counseling Web Board contains links to a number of college-related articles.
Interesting Books on College Admission
Bruni, Frank. 2015. Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be. New York: Grand Central Publishing.
Delahunty, Jennifer. 2010. I’m Going to College – NOT YOU!: Surviving the College Search with Your Child. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin.
Ferguson, Andrew. 2012. Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Mathews, Jay. 2003. Harvard Schmarvard. New York: Random House, Inc.
Mayher, Bill. 1998. The College Admissions Mystique. New York: The Noonday Press.
A refreshingly honest account of the college admission process.
Selingo, Jeffrey. 2020. Who Gets In and Why. New York: Scribner
Steinberg, Jacques. 2003. The Gatekeepers. New York: Penguin Group.
Thacker, Lloyd. 2005. College Unranked: Ending the College Admissions Frenzy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Financial Aid Guidebooks
Chany, Kalman. 2024. Paying for College: Everything You Need to Maximize Financial Aid and Afford College. New York: Random House, Inc.
Transition to College Books
Coburn, Karen Lenin & Madge Lawrence Treeger. 2016. Letting Go: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding the College Years. New York: Harper Collins.
This is the book on the transition from family and school to college.
Lerner, Daniel, and Alan Schlechter. 2017. U Thrive: How to Succeed in College (and Life). New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Woodacre, Margo & Steffany Bane. 2015. I’ll Miss You Too: An Off-to-College Guide for Parents and Students. Illinois: American Literary Press, Inc.

Recommended Websites
Both students and parents can stay up to date by routinely checking the College Counseling Web Board (login required) on the Friends Seminary website, www.friendsseminary.org
The following websites may also be useful tools in your college searches. The Friends Seminary Library can help students with these sites if no computer is available at home.
The Campus Pride Ultimate Queer College Guide
Campus Reel
Campus Tours Index: Virtual College Tours
This site is linked to a number of college and university Web sites, some with maps and even live videos of their campuses. This is more convenient than chasing all the sites around the Web itself; it does come with advertising naturally.
Another option is http://www.ecampustours.com
College Board Online
This is an enormously helpful site; it contains worthwhile tips, testing dates, registration and reporting services, and access to the CSS Profile.
The College Essay Guy
College Express
College Navigator
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
A good place to check the most popular (or oversubscribed) majors on campus.
Colleges That Change Lives
Common Application Online
Common Data Set
Search school name + common data set to access school specific admission and enrollment information.
CUNY Main Website for the Entire System
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
Peterson's Website
SUNY Main Website for the Entire System

A Sampling of Summer Programs
Below is a sampling of different summer opportunities.
Your teachers are good resources about summer opportunities in their respective fields of study.
Programs at Colleges and Universities with Multiple Offerings
Babson College: Summer Study for High School Students – Entrepreneurial Development Experience
Barnard College: Pre-college Programs, NextGen Leadership Institute, Athena Innovation Institute
Boston University: Summer Journalism Academy
Brown University: Pre-college programs ranging from one to six weeks
Carnegie Mellon University: Pre-college programs in art & design, architecture, music and drama. Also the Summer Academy for Math & Science, National High School Game Academy
Colorado College: Immerse yourself in the Block Plan
Columbia University: Pre-college programs ranging from art to engineering to business
Duke University: Pre-College programs ranging from the humanities to the sciences including Marine Lab
George Washington University: Courses range from international law to medicine to cyber security
Georgetown University: Courses include AI, Sports Management, and foreign affairs
Harvard University: Secondary School Program for juniors and seniors
Johns Hopkins University: Pre-college programs and Center for Talented Youth (CTY)
New York University: Pre-college classes, journalism program, Tisch arts offerings
Northwestern University: Programs in debate, journalism, speech, science, film, and theater
Pioneer Academics Research Program: Work one-on-one with a university professor on a research topic of your choice. Financial Aid available.
St. John’s College Summer Academy: a Great Books reading program
Summer Discovery: Pre-college programs at UCLA, Georgetown, Michigan, and more
Syracuse University: Pre-college programs from engineering to architecture
Telluride Association (TASS): A free six week program that challenges young people to think critically about the world and begin to create a more just society
Tufts University: Courses ranging from veterinary med to studio art to engineering
University of Pennsylvania: Classes offered in both the College and Wharton in biomedical research, chemistry research, data science, and social justice
University of Rochester: Business Bootcamp, Hajim Engineering, Mini Medical School, The Art of a Short Film
University of Southern California: From cinema & television programs to engineering
Washington University (St. Louis): Programs in arts and sciences, and architecture
Yale Young Global Scholars Program
NOTE: Most colleges offer some type of summer program for high school students. To find out more information, call or check out the college’s website. Students may also consider taking a class online through Coursera, an online learning platform that offers self-paced study options at low or no cost.
Programs in the Arts
General Arts/Multiple Areas of Study
BIMA at Brandeis University: The program emphasizes Jewish life and working in the Jewish art community. Areas include dance, music, visual arts, writing and theater.
Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp
Cooper Union: Summer Art Intensive, Introduction to Architecture
Maryland College Institute of Art (MICA)
New York State Summer School of the Arts: Ballet, chorus, dance, jazz, media arts, orchestra,
Parsons: Pre-college programs in art, design, music and drama
Pratt: Pre-college program in art, design, creative writing and architecture
Rhode Island School of Design
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Tisch School of the Arts Summer High School
Creative Writing
Bard College at Simon's Rock: Young Writers Workshop
Denison University: Reynolds Young Writers Workshop
Emerging Writers Institute Creative Writing Camp: Campuses at Brown, Stanford, Yale and UC-Berkeley and UCLA
Emerson College Creative Writers Workshop
Iowa Young Writers’ Studio
Kenyon College: Young Writers Program
Sarah Lawrence College: Writers week for teens
Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference
Summer at Georgetown Creative Writing Academy
University of Virginia: Young Writers Workshop
Washington University in St. Louis: Summer Writers Institute
Dance
Colorado Ballet Academy Summer Intensive
Interlochen High School Dance Summer Programs
Juilliard Summer Dance Intensive: Ballet and modern dance
UNC School of the Arts Summer Dance
Music
Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp: Band, choir, harp, jazz, composition, orchestra and piano
Berklee School of Music: Programs in performance, songwriting, production and business management
Boston University: Tanglewood Institute of Music
Grammy Camp: Hosted on the campus of USC Thornton School of Music
Illinois Chamber Music Festival and Camp and Illinois Wesleyan University
Intermuse International Music Institute and Festival USA
Interlochen Summer Music Programs
Midwest Young Artists’ Chicago Chamber Music Workshop
NYU Tisch-Summer High School Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music
NYU Steinhardt Summer Programs: Classical voice and contemporary vocal
The Young Artist World Piano Festival
Theater/Acting
IRT Theater Young Actors Laboratory: One-week, nonresidential program
Ithaca College Summer College for High School Students: Musical Theatre
NYU Steinhardt Summer Programs: On hold until 2025
Rutgers Summer Acting Conservatory: On hold until 2025
Vassar: Powerhouse Theatre Program
Yale University: Summer Conservatory for Actors
Visual Arts/Architecture/Film
Cornell University: Summer College, Introduction to Architecture
Maine College of Art: Pre-College Program
Maryland Institute College of Art & Design Residency Program
New York Film Academy
Rhode Island School of Design: Art and design, architecture programs
RPI: Summer Architecture Career Discovery Program: Online, 2 week course designed to expose students to the experience of enrolling in an undergraduate architecture program
School of Visual Arts: Summer Arts Programs in film, animation, graphic design, interior design and more
Snow Farm, the New England Craft Program: Based in Williamstown, MA
University of Illinois: Discover Architecture
Washington University in St. Louis: Architecture Discovery Program: 2 week program-introduction to architecture and design for high school students

Programs in Business/Entrepreneurship
Bentley University: Wall Street 101: For rising high school juniors and seniors interested in global finance and investing
Bossgirls: Summer entrepreneurship program at CCNY for high school girls and nonbinary students
Fordham University: Real Estate Institute Summer Program
Hugo Mentors
The Iacocca Global Entrepreneurship Intensive at Lehigh University
Indiana University: MEET Kelley School of Business: MEET Kelley (Meet, Educate, Experience, Transition) is a pre-college summer program for high ability students to get introduced to the Kelley School of Business
University of Michigan: Ross Summer Business Academy: Opportunity for rising high school seniors to discover business from the inside out
UPenn: Wharton MoneyBall Academy
University of Pennsylvania: Wharton Youth Global Program
NYU GSTEM Summer Program
Programs for Community Service and Volunteer Opportunities
Global Works: Adventure travel and community service summer programs abroad, offering trips, language learning, and cultural exchange
Global Routes: Overseas volunteer work opportunities including a home stay
Visions: Service Adventures
Where There be Dragons: Learning and service adventures in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other locations
World Horizons International: Community Service Programs in South America, South Pacific Islands, the Southwest and other locations
Programs in Ecology/Environment and Outdoor Education
ActionQuest: Sailing, diving, marine biology
Broadreach Summer Programs: Experiential adventures including sailing, scuba, marine biology, and wilderness programs
Cornell University: Shoals Marine Laboratory, marine science in Maine
The National Outdoor Leadership Program: A wide range of outdoor skills and leadership experiences are available in the US and abroad
The Road Less Traveled, Summer Adventure: Leadership challenges in outdoor exploration
Sail Caribbean
The School for Field Studies: Ecology, resource management, economics. Field study sites in Australia, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Peru, and more.
SEA Education Association: Marine biology study, sailing, etc.
Student Conservation Association: Conservation in action
Wilderness Adventures: Backpacking, rafting, canoeing, kayaking, and rock climbing
Programs for Languages
Concordia Language Villages
French Institute: Alliance Francaise
Middlebury College: Monterey Language Academy
National Security Language Initiative for Youth: Merit based scholarships to student one of seven foreign languages- Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian and Turkish.
Visions: Service adventures, cultural immersion, French and Spanish language immersion trips
Programs Overseas
Abbey Road Programs: Overseas language immersion programs
American Field Studies-USA: Programs Abroad
American University of Paris: Paris Summer Programs
ACIS (American Council for International Studies): Summer College Campus Programs around the world
Amigos de las Americas
Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel
Concordia Language Villages
Experiment in International Living: Programs in many different countries
IPEE: Costa Rica Spanish Language School
Oxford Advanced Studies Program
The Oxford Tradition
Putney Student travel
Rassias Programs
St. Andrews: Scottish Studies Summer Program
TASIS Summer Programs: England, France, Puerto Rico and Switzerland
University of Dallas: Classical Education in Rome and Shakespeare in Italy
Where There be Dragons: Learning and service adventures in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other locations
Youth for Understanding: International exchanges
Programs at
Secondary Schools/Prep Schools
Choate Rosemary Hall: Summer Programs
Northfield Mount Hermon, Northfield, MA: Summer Program on campus and also off-campus
Phillips Academy, Andover, MA: Over 60 challenging courses for high school students
Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH: Exeter Summer
Putney School, Vermont: Art, writing, music
Programs in Public Policy/Social Sciences/Leadership
Claremont McKenna Kravis Leadership Institute: Leadership and Professional Communication
Emerson College: Politics, Activism & Leadership
FBI: Teen Academy-Future Agents in Training Academy
Junior State of America Institutes: Multiple campuses
National Institute of American History and Democracy-Pre-College Program in Early American History: Offered at The College of William & Mary
National Student Leadership Conference on Political Action and Public Policy: Hosted by Georgetown University
St. Albans School of Public Service
Seeds of Peace: Each summer, hundreds of teenagers and educators engage with each other across lines of conflict—sharing meals, living spaces, and learning experiences in a traditional summer camp program
Summer at Georgetown American Politics Institute
The School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL)
United Nations Advanced Training (UNAT): Summer 2025 experience global diplomacy firsthand at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City
Women & Politics Institute Summer Session for High School Students: Hosted by American University
Programs in Science/Engineering
All Star Code Summer Intensive: Free summer program in NYC, NJ or PA; open to young men of color.
Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE): Hosted at NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Artificial Intelligence Enrichment Program by Stanford & MIT Graduates (Beginner-Friendly)
Boston Leadership Institute: Biological Research: Students reside at Wellesley College during the program.
California NanoSystems Institute NanoScience Lab: Housed at UCLA
Carnegie Mellon Summer Academy for Mathematics and Science
Carnegie Mellon Computer Science Scholars
City College STEM Institute
Cooper Union Summer STEM Program: Science and engineering
Cornell University: Pre-college programs, including ones in engineering, veterinary medicine and more (summer 2024 online only)
Cultivating Excellence: Mathematics/STEM Academic Research Mentorship for Teens https://cultivatingexcellence.org/research
Exploring Your Options: Engineering program at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
Girls Who Code: Summer Immersion Program
Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program (HOPP): Summer student program at Memorial Sloan
Kettering
iDTech: A variety of classes/camps offered at locations in and outside of the city
Introduction to Engineering Program at Notre Dame
Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation
Kode with Klossy
MITES Summer (Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science): Hosted by MIT
MIT Recommended Summer Programs: https://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/summer/
Research Science Institute, Women’s Technology Program, Summer Science Program
NYU: Cybersecurity for Computer Science
NYU G STEM Summer Program
PREFACE Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: PREFACE is a summer program for talented students who have been historically under-represented in science, engineering, and the technological fields, and who express a strong, early interest in pursuing careers in these areas
Research in the Biological Sciences (RIBS): Hosted by the University of Chicago
Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) Program: Internship at Boston Unviersity
Research Science Institute: Hosted by MIT
The Rockefeller University Summer Science Research Program (SSRP)
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Summer Engineering Operation Catapult
Rosetta Institute Biomedical Summer Camps: Campuses include UC-Berkeley and UC-San Diego
The Ross Mathematics Program: 6 week intensive summer experience for pre-college students to explore mathematics. Held at Otterbein University & at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rutgers Pre-Engineering Summer Academy
Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP): Hosted at Barnard, Baruch, Fordham & NYU. Specifically for students from historically underrepresented minorities in the STEM fields.
Simons Summer Research Fellowship Program: Hosted by Stony Brook University
Smith College: Summer Science & Engineering Program for Women
Summer at Stevens: Stevens Institute of Technology
University of California San Diego COSMOS: Technology and engineering
University of Kansas Engineering Summer Camp
University of Maryland Clark School of Engineering Pre-College Program
University of Massachusetts Summer Academy: Programs in science and engineering
University of Michigan: Summer Engineering Exploration (SEE)
University of Pennsylvania: Summer Engineering Academy
Summer Science Program: Offered at the University of Colorado-Boulder, New Mexico Tech, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Indiana University and Purdue University
STEM from Dance: Girls Rise Up
Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Programs designed to engage students in STEM applications while developing leadership/collaboration skills

Examples of Internships
Local Organizations
America on Tech
https://www.americaontech.org/internships.html
Bank of America Non-Profit Internship and Leadership Program
https://about.bankofamerica.com/en/making-an-impact/student-leaders
The Bronx Zoo: Project True
http://bronxzoo.com/teens/project-true
CityArts Internship
https://www.cityarts.org/internships
DOROT Internship
https://www.dorotusa.org/volunteer/high-school-college-internships/summer-teen-internship-program
The Go Project
http://www.goprojectnyc.org/get-involved/volunteer#GOGetter
Google Code Next
Google's Code Next program works with high schoolers to cultivate the next generation of Black, Latinx and Indigenous tech leaders
https://codenext.withgoogle.com/
The Frick: Summer Study Projects
https://www.frick.org/careers/internships
Memorial Sloan Kettering Summer Student Program
https://www.mskcc.org/education-training/high-school-college/hopp-summer-student
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/internships/high-school
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum Internship
On hold until 2025
NYC Department of Youth and Community Development-Ladders for Leaders
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/dycd/services/jobs-internships/nyc-ladders-for-leaders.page
New York County District Attorney’s Office
http://manhattanda.org/high-school-internship
New York Historical Society
http://www.nyhistory.org/education/teen-programs/student-historian-program
Vera Institute of Justice: Justice Scholars Program
Nonlocal Organizations
Child Health Research Internship
https://www.childrenscolorado.org/pediatric-innovation/training-opportunities/
ENVOYS Internship
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Summer High School Internship Program
Freer and Sackler Museums of Asian Art
https://asia-archive.si.edu/research/fellowships-internships/
NASA Internships
Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) Internship at Boston University
https://www.bu.edu/summer/high-school-programs/research/internship/