Summer “Enrichment” Programs To Avoid
Daniel Berkowitz, Ph.D.
Getting You Into Your Dream College or MBA Program | Founder, Director & Admissions Consultant at Cosmic College Consulting | Yale Physics Ph.D.
If you want to avoid wasting money on summer enrichment programs that you expect will help your child get into their dream college, avoid programs whose offerings solely consist of taking online classes or classes on a college's campus. The obvious red flag with these programs is that the universities or online institutes which offer them don't even accept these classes, which you are paying them to take, for credit. If School X won't accept classes that students take on X's campus, can you imagine how little School Z will think of those classes?
The inclusion of such online or on-campus classes during the summer can even hurt an applicant's chances of getting into their dream school. It shows colleges that this person isn't serious about learning and is just trying to play a part. Why take unaccredited classes that cost a fortune when you can take accredited courses online at a 4-year college or even in-person classes at a community college?
Taking expensive unaccredited programs makes applicants seem as though they feel they are too good to take classes at their local community college. This makes them appear unlikable to admission officers. For most applicants interested in these expensive programs, their child is probably advanced enough academically to benefit from taking a class at a four-year school and could afford the tuition that comes with it. Taking an accredited course in complex variables, for example, at a 4-year college would be infinitely better than an online or in-person unaccredited classes at even the biggest-name colleges.
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In short, say no to expensive online or in-person classes that don't come with college credit, and instead pay to take classes at a local 2- or 4-year accredited college. Both your wallet and the admission officer reading your application will thank you for it.
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