What are some legit summer programs to get involved in that would look good on a college application?

Hi there,

There are a few options to get involved in research over the summer as a high school student.

First, you can reach out to professors at your local community college to see if they are taking on volunteers. This is a great way to get experience, usually for free, in a real lab setting. However, there might be age requirements, so if you're younger, you might have to wait a summer to two to engage in research. It helps to look online beforehand to see the professor's area of expertise, so if reach out via cold email, your message stands out.

Alternatively, you can join a summer program that a college has for high school students. These programs are usually expensive and competitive to get into, but they do provide the comprehensive research experience at a fast pace that can really prepare you for college. You can also look into getting financial aid, which can help cover tuition, housing, and other costs associated with the program. You should scour the websites for your prospective schools and universities near you to get a better idea of your options.

If guided research isn't your thing, you can conduct your own research project. Coming up with your own research question and carrying out your own project shows initiative to colleges in a way that traditional programs don't. However, consider that you might not have the time or resources to conduct a gold standard experiment. You can reflect upon this in a written document you make as a conclusion to your research. For additional visibility, you can submit your research paper to local news journals.

And finally, there are a ton of summer programs for high schoolers with different formats, subjects, and durations. You can find the perfect one for you by doing some research on our blog. I've linked a few articles below that could help you out:

https://blog.collegevine.com/most-prestigious-summer-programs-for-high-school-students/

https://blog.collegevine.com/a-guide-to-pursuing-research-projects-in-high-school/

https://blog.collegevine.com/research-opportunities-high-school/

Hope this helps!