Extracurriculars

Extracurriculars and Summer Activities

After students satisfy the academic entrance requirements, college admission officers consistently tell us that they seek “well-rounded classes” not the fabled “well-rounded individual.” They are ultimately interested in students who have a real depth of involvement in two or three extracurricular activities. Being involved in ninth and tenth grades puts students in the position to take on leadership roles in junior and senior years. Furthermore, the entire four years of high school should be thought of as a single entity including summers. We recommend students use the summer months to work, hike, study (language immersion is one obvious example; another is to target a specific author of interest in order to read all of their works), and volunteer. A sampling of summer programs and information on internships can be found below. The parent and student network is also quite invaluable in these areas because the opportunities are vast, so be sure to ask for suggestions from other Friends’ families. Be aware that often the most desirable programs fill their enrollment quickly.

Summer Programs

Internship Opportunities

Summer Programs

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

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)

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 University

Research Science Institute: Hosted by MIT

The Rockefeller University Summer Science Research Program (SSRP)

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Summer Engineering

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

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

Internships