Okay, before we cover our list of the high school summer engineering programs that are worth it, it’s important to understand a few things about summer programs in general –especially how much they actually help you in college apps.

Please read this before skipping to the list: we don’t want you to waste your time taking a program that doesn’t boost your acceptance rate anyway!

So, there are two things we need to start with:

1. We highly recommend having self-starter experience outside of institution-based summer engineering programs like the ones listed in this article. This helps you stay competitive even more competitive when applying for elite schools.
2. You need to have a plan when applying and writing your personal statement for the summer programs you want to attend. Why do you deserve to be in this program compared to the rest?

First order of business: the self-starter experience.

When you take a high school summer engineering program, you show that you may show that you have the strength of character and perseverance to go above and beyond what is expected of you in the classroom. This might be considered good, right? Yes, it is. However, you should also consider the negative aspect as well.

Universities often take on a holistic admissions approach. This means that they will take factors such as background and privilege into the college admissions decisions. If you had the financial backing –whether through family or your own finances– to fund a summer program, this will send a message to your admissions officers that you had more academic privileges compared to other students.

Here’s an example:

1. John is aiming to get accepted into an elite university for Engineering. He applies for a high school summer engineering program to boost his application. The program lets him work with professors to contribute to a research project with an esteemed professor. His family pays for the funding.
2. Daisey is also aiming to get accepted into an elite university for Engineering. She has the qualifications to attend a high school summer engineering program, but because her family doesn’t have the funds. She does not attend. Instead, she conducts her own Engineering projects and collaborates with fellow peers in other universities.

As you can see, both individuals can easily showcase their grit and perseverance to the admissions officers. However, despite John having notoriety and prestige at his side, he also has the privilege of working against him. Daisey presents an ability to overcome a lack of privilege by being a self-starter who does not need institutional support for her pursuit of knowledge. John shows determination by going out of his way to attend an engineering program, but it is not obvious that he has the strength to succeed without the help of an elite institution like Daisey can.

What does this mean for our fellow students looking for the best high school summer engineering programs to apply for?

It means that even if you pursue a summer engineering program, you still need to demonstrate that you can be a self-starter like Daisey. As Naval said in this video, companies are getting smaller. Great minds are leaving large corporations and paving their own paths, and this is becoming the norm not just in Silicon Valley but everywhere else. If you want to show you can adapt to this new changing environment, you’ll want to show that you can conduct your own projects outside of a summer program from an institution.

If you are interested in learning the fastest and most effective way of starting your own project, please contact us. Our experts will get back to you as soon as possible with a personalized step-by-step plan to follow.

Remember: some summer engineering programs don’t just accept anyone who applies. You may require a good GPA, test scores, and a good personal statement essay. If you need guidance on how to approach your summer engineering program personal statement essay, you can also contact our experts for free customized advice and guidance.

The Best High School Summer Engineering Programs That Are Worth It

Table of Contents

1. Yale Young Global Scholars
2. Carnegie Mellon SAMS
3. Research Science Institute
4. Pre-College Sumer Institute at Stanford
5. Women’s Technology Program
6. Penn Engineering Summer Academy
7. MITES
8. Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation
9. CATALYST Academy
10. CURIE Academy
11. Columbia University Campus Immersion Program
12. Summer@Brown
13. NYU ARISE Program

Yale Young Global Scholars

This is probably one of our favorite summer engineering programs.

Yale Young Global Scholars provides students with a unique array of subjects to choose from. Some of the subjects in its engineering program include Sustainable Development & Social Entrepreneurship, Biological & Biomedical Science, Frontiers of Math & Science, and Applied Science & Engineering.

You can find the essay questions here, but we also provided them below.

1. Please explain why you chose the session(s) above, including your reasoning for how you ranked each session. (100 Words)
2. We know students have many options for academic enrichment programs to which to apply. Please explain why you chose to apply for YYGS specifically AND why you would be a great fit for the program. What will you contribute to YYGS, and what do you hope to take away from YYGS and bring back to impact your community? (100 Words)

1. Discuss a popular stereotype that you believe people might have about YOU. Please explain what you believe to be the roots of this stereotype (based on your own experiences and/or research), and discuss how you would actually define or describe yourself as compared to this view. (200-400 words)
2. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? Please note that this does need to be a real, current place, not fictional place nor a historical place that no longer exists. (280 Characters)
3. If you could have a conversation with a fictional character from a book, film, short story, or any other literary work, who would it be and what would you talk about? (280 Characters)
4. We want to learn more about your background, beliefs, values, and/or the important people in your life. Please tell us about something that has influenced you and articulate how it has shaped you. (200 words)

Carnegie Mellon SAMS

This is one of our top choices when it comes to choosing the best summer engineering programs.

Carnegie Mellon’s SAMS has six weeks of STEM course instruction. The classes are taught by the Carnegie Mellon faculty themselves. This gives students the opportunity to learn from and develop a closer relationship with the class instructors, and even expand their knowledge deeper than many other summer programs. The program also features a college application preparation section in its first part, the online section. It also includes sections that help you develop your future career and what you need to achieve it.

You must be at least 16 years old, a high school sophomore or junior, and a US citizen or permanent resident.

You must also answer these essay prompts.

1. What do you hope to gain from participating in the Carnegie Mellon Pre-College program? (300-500 words)
2. One of the two following prompts (no more than 1000 words):
   • It is often said that adversity builds character, and frequently the lessons we take from encountered obstacles can build a foundation to later success. Carefully recount a time that you faced a very specific challenge; name the setback or failure; and describe how it impacted and influenced your values. How did this experience affect you? What were your lessons learned?
   • Carnegie Mellon University has been a birthplace of innovation since 1900. In that same year, the founder, Andrew Carnegie stated, “My Heart is in the Work.”  Relate and connect this philosophy to why you are interested in attending the Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS)? How will participating in SAMS impact your interest in research, helping others, and your academic and career goals? How will your past experience contribute to and influence the success of the current program? Most importantly, how will your work shape the curriculum in order to make a difference for students who attend SAMS in future years?

Research Science Institute

The Research Science Institute at MIT hosts a 6-week introduction to scientific research. Here you will gain experience working with research teams at the academic, corporate, and government level. There is also the opportunity to be recognized as a co-author and have credit for research published in academic journals. To apply for RSI, you will need to be academically competitive. They highly recommend PSAT Math scores of 740 or higher and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing of 700 or higher. ACT Math should be at least 33 and Verbal at least 34.

You will also need to complete the essay questions in the application; it will detail your goals in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Take your time writing these. Getting accepted into RSI is competitive (especially since you’re competing against other academically talented individuals trying to get in).

If you can, try to have a strong essay that sets you apart from the rest of the application pool –something that distinguishes you from the rest of the geniuses.

Pre-College Sumer Institute at Stanford

The pre-college summer institute helps talented students from grades 8-11 deeper study in a single subject. Courses include computer science, engineering, and math; however, they can also include liberal arts such as creative writing and philosophy. They offer 30 courses with an average class size of 15. The courses are ungraded and you will not receive college credit for them, but they are a great way to get hands-on experience in your field of choice. Stanford’s PCSI is also a great opportunity for those looking to network with other fellow students passionate about their field.

When you are applying for Stanford’s PCSI program, the video essay will be optional. However, we strongly recommend that you send a video essay. The application process is selective, so you’ll need to stand out. Here they say you can also tell them something you haven’t mentioned elsewhere in the application.

Since you are sharing more about yourself, this makes the video essay quite similar to the average college application essay question we typically get. If you need help answering this, contact us and we’ll send you free help ASAP!

Women’s Technology Program

The Women’s Technology Program at MIT provides female students four weeks of exposure to engineering. It takes place the summer after 11th grade.

Note that the point of MIT’s Women’s Technology Program is to expose women who have an aptitude in math and science high school classes to the world of engineering or computer science. They expect to accept about 40 students, with 20 in Mechanical Engineering and 20 in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science.

You will also need to answer 3 essay questions, each having 275 words at least and a maximum of 330 words.

Penn Engineering Summer Academy

U Peen’s Engineering Summer Academy is a 3-week program exposing students to college-level engineering. You will work with UPenn faculty gaining hands-on experience and earning college credit. You can choose one of four different courses: complex networks, computer graphics, computer science, and nanotechnology. Biotechnology and robotics have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and nanotechnology will be limited to only students living in the US.

You will not be required to submit a statement of purpose or application essay to be considered.

MITES

MIT’s MITES is a rigorous six-week program that introduces minorities to science and engineering. This program is fantastic for aspiring entrepreneurs. Also, it’s free! Due to the pandemic, the MITES program has been suspended until further notice. As such, if you are looking for a good alternative, you may want to consider applying for MIT’s MOSTEC program.

There is no essay required; however, those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds are encouraged to apply. You don’t need to have all of these traits, but they include the following:

1. African American, Hispanic/Latino, or Native American
2. Low socioeconomic means, which may be indicated by qualification for free/reduced lunch
3. Potentially the first family member to attend college
4. Absence of science and engineering degrees in family
5. Coming from a high school with low admittance rates to top-tier colleges, especially rural or predominantly minority high schools

Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation

Engineering Innovation introduces students to engineering and prepares them for college-level engineering work. Students will have the opportunity to try out different engineering subjects to see which one fits their liking. This is a good program for those who know they want to be in engineering but are unsure of what specifically they want to specialize in.

Here is the application essay below.

In 250 words, explain why you want to participate in the Explore Engineering Innovation or Biomedical Engineering Innovation course and what you hope to gain from the experience. This essay must be uploaded to the online application.

CATALYST Academy

At Cornell, the Catalyst program provides students with two field sessions per day. Students learn and get hands-on experience from the Cornell faculty. Those who sign up and attend will also have the opportunity to conduct design projects and research projects that will scholars engage in two field sessions every day to gain hands-on experience from Cornell Engineering faculty. They also work in small collaborative groups to do research and design projects.

They also require a maximum 500-word essay including the following points below.

– Your interest in participating in this program.
– What you hope to gain from the experience.
– Why you are interested in engineering.
– Your thoughts and plans for your future career.

CURIE Academy

The CURIE Academy is a one-week summer program from Cornell University. It provides girls more exposure to engineering. You can imagine this as a sister version of the Catalyst Academy. In fact, many of its features are similar –even the application essay is similar.  

An essay (maximum 500 words) on:

– Your interest in participating in this program.
– What you hope to gain from the experience.
– Why you are interested in engineering.
– Your thoughts and plans for your future career.

Columbia University Campus Immersion Program

The Campus Immersion program gives students the chance to integrate into Columbia University’s academic culture. Students learn from world-class instructors and will have the opportunity for the following:

• Interact with Columbia scholars and experts in their fields.
• Engage with an international community of students.
• Prepare for college and the admissions process through specially designed programs.
• Participate in extracurricular activities led by current students.
• Earn a Columbia University Certification of Participation and evaluation letter.

Here is their Statement of Academic Purpose: In 600 words or less, please discuss how changes to your current reality have made you more aware of an arising global consciousness and prepared you to become a more informed global citizen.

Summer@Brown

At Summer@Brown, students will engage in 1-6-week-courses on engineering. The classes here will provide students with more experience in the college environment and will not be as academically brutal towards its students in terms of grades.

You will be required to submit a 250–500 word essay responding to the following prompt:

• How have you been challenged to grow, as both a student and individual, in the last year? How has this influenced your drive to further your studies? How will you leverage this growth within the Brown Pre-College community?

You may submit a supplementary essay if you want to address something not covered in other parts of the application. (For example, an explanation for inconsistent grades or specific circumstances you’d like the Admissions Team to consider.)

NYU ARISE Program

NYU’s Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering is quite long. It features seven weeks of college-level courses, research projects, and mentorship. They also provide a whole host of other skills to STEM focused students that will help them succeed in their careers, but it is mostly focused toward bringing up underserved communities.

Students must also be a resident of one of the five NYC boroughs: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island.

Questions about which summer engineering programs would be best for you? Do you find it difficult to stand out when writing your application essays for your favorite programs? No worries! Contact our office and our experts will provide you with personalized advice on which programs best fit your needs (and how to get accepted).