Is Harvard Summer School Worth It? 2024 Review

Hosted by one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, Harvard Summer School runs on the premise of providing students a glimpse into the daily life as a Harvard student and the opportunity to study under world-class professors.

In this post, we provide a comprehensive overview of the Harvard Summer School programs and include our review on whether it’s worth it or not to attend.

What is Harvard Summer School?

Harvard Summer School is split into two programs: The Secondary School program and the Pre-College program.

The Secondary School program is the longer of the two programs, held over 4 or 7-week durations. Students are free to choose from over 200 college courses offered at Harvard and can either live on campus, commute, or attend classes online. College course credit is granted.

The Pre-College program is held exclusively in person at Harvard and offers three 2-week program sessions held across the summer. Similar to the above program, students have the opportunity to take college-level courses from qualified faculty. College course credit is not granted.

Image Credit: Harvard Summer School Website

Harvard’s Summer College Programs for high school students are intensive programs designed to give students a glimpse of college and the opportunity to challenge themselves in college-level academics.

Harvard Summer School Website

Harvard Summer School Cost

The program cost for the Secondary School Program ranges from $3,900 to $14,250 depending on the number of courses taken and whether a student is attending as a residential, commuting, or online student.

7-Week Residential: $14,250 for 8 tuition credits, room and meal plan, and program fee.
7-Week Commuting and Online: $3,900 for 4 tuition credits and $7,600 for 8 tuition credits. Includes tuition and program fee.
4-Week Residential: $7,700 for 4 tuition credits, room and meal plan, and program fee.

The program cost for the Pre-College program is $5,550. The fee includes tuition, a room and meal plan, costs for activities, and an accident and sickness insurance plan.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available based on students’ family finances and the availability of funds of the program. The grant typically covers only a portion of the entire program fee. Applicants will be asked for their 1040 tax return, W-2 form, and value of student and parent assets.

Harvard Summer School Eligibility & Application Requirements

The Secondary School program accepts applications from high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are also at least 16 years old and not yet 19 by the summer.

The Pre-College program accepts applications from high school sophomores and juniors who are also at least 16 years old and not yet 19 by the summer.

To apply for both programs, see the application requirement list below:

A $75 application fee
Counselor report (sent directly to the counselor to fill out)
Complete high school transcript sent from the student’s high school
English proficiency exam scores for nonnative speakers

Reasons You Might Attend Harvard Summer School

As a high school program run by Harvard University, Harvard Summer School benefits from the name-brand prestige that people associate with the program. Additionally, as a structured summer program designed specifically for high schoolers, the experience does hold certain merits that are worth considering.

Get a glimpse into college life: A definite benefit that programs like Harvard Summer School can give you is an opportunity to step away from home if you’re pursuing the residential option. Living independently and rooming with another peer could give you a taste of what life is like at college. With the chance to explore academic interests and engage in fun student activities, you can find your own pace with which you balance your academic and social life—a skill crucial for college.
Encounter a diverse community: With decently small class sizes (typically 10-25 students per class) and many student events hosted throughout the duration of the program, you’ll be ping-ponging between your peers on a daily basis. This is valuable as you’ll practically be meeting new people every day, from fellow students in your classroom to those from other Harvard programs hosted over the summer. With many international students attending, you’ll have the opportunity to broaden your worldview and expand your network.
Learn from world-class experts: One of the main selling points of this experience is the chance to interact with esteemed professors (see an extension of this point in the next section) and accomplished educators in their fields. Adding these individuals to your support network can be invaluable and transform into long-term connections.
Earn college credit: Each credit obtained at Harvard Summer School equates to one semester hour at the undergraduate level. Credits are accepted at most colleges and universities, which means that students will be potentially saving time in college by fulfilling course requirements and thus leaving room for other classes.

Reasons You Might Not Attend Harvard Summer School

On the other hand, no high school pre-college program comes without its caveats. Make sure to thoroughly think through the cons as well as the pros when determining your decision.

Hefty price tag: It goes without saying that a high school summer program that costs upwards of $14,250 is not feasible for the majority of households in the U.S. (and worldwide). For perspective, this is more than how much tuition costs per year at many state colleges. High school programs that cost thousands should only be considered if a family has the financial means to pay for it and the program’s associated benefits make it absolutely worth it for the student to attend.
Not necessarily a ‘prestigious’ summer program: Slapping a name like “Harvard” on a program unsurprisingly attracts many students and parents who automatically assume such a program is highly prestigious. However, hyper-expensive pre-college programs at name-brand universities are known to add not much substance to a college application. In fact, the most prestigious summer programs are often free (many even paying students stipends to attend) and extremely competitive. See this list of 50+ STEM opportunities which includes many of these high-quality programs that actually help you stand out on an application.
Not all courses are taught by Harvard faculty: One of the main reasons why students apply to pre-college programs at a certain university/college is to encounter professors that teach at that institution. The general line of reasoning is that building a connection with them will naturally result in a recommendation letter, thus adding brownie points to the college application for that institution. However, see the criteria for the Pre-College program below taken straight from their website:

The instructors for the Pre-College Program are primarily Harvard affiliates; advanced graduate students and lecturers are welcome to apply.

Harvard Summer School Website

Not being full-time teaching faculty at Harvard doesn’t necessarily discredit the academic merit of the instructor, but it’s important to note that if you decide to attend with the main intention of making connections with Harvard professors, reconsideration is advised.

Long program duration: The longest programs offered at Harvard Summer School lasts seven weeks. That’s almost two months. Even the shorter ones, lasting two weeks, will take up a considerable chunk of your summer break. Assess all your available options and see if you can afford to set aside this much time to invest in the program.

Final Thoughts—Is Harvard Summer School Worth It?

It’s important to view this from a cost-benefit analysis perspective. Attending Harvard Summer School would come at the cost of forgoing time spent on other meaningful summer activities, such as working a summer job, honing another extracurricular, or even traveling. Additionally, the extremely expensive cost associated with this program will undoubtedly deter most families from applying to this program, which goes against the custom of many prestigious summer programs.

If you want the opportunity to study your subject of interest with a diverse cohort of people, meet industry professionals, and dorm on the Harvard campus, then you should consider applying and attending. However, the bottom line is that attending these programs will not grant your college application the meaningful “boost” that pursuing other summer activities could. Participating in pre-college programs at any institution also does not guarantee admission to that college.

Image Credit: Harvard Summer School Website

In conclusion, attending Harvard Summer School can be a good way to get a head start on exploring fields of interest and get a taste of what college life is like. However, with the high price tag associated with attending these pre-college programs and the general lack of substance they add to your college application, it’s much more advisable to invest your time in other more meaningful summer activities.

Ultimately, your summer time is valuable—regardless of how you choose to spend it, assess each option thoroughly and weigh in on the costs and benefits.

Concluding Remarks

In this post we compared Harvard Summer School to the more prestigious summer programs available in the country. If you’re into STEM, good news! See this comprehensive video guide on the premier STEM summer programs for high schoolers.

Blog Post: https://rishabacademy.com/is-harvard-summer-school-worth-it-2024-review/

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