Is the Notre Dame Summer Scholars Program Worth It?Answered
Theres lots of articles and blogs collegevine itself had posted about really good summer programs that colleges want to see on your application and being a STEM student I was eager to be a part of some of those acclaimed programs. Notre Dame Summer Scholars was one of the good summer programs colleges like to see accoding to Collegevine. But collegevine also writes how you should try and avoid paid summer programs. Notre Dame Summer Scholars costs $3,850+ so my question is now after knowing the cost, Do you think it’s actually worth it, collegevine?
Earn karma by helping others:
3 answers
Great question. While we do include the Notre Dame Summer Scholars program is on our list of prestigious programs, it is important to remember that prestige lies on spectrum. The most prestigious summer programs are typically both highly selective and free (or very cheap). Because Notre Dame Summer Scholars is both more expensive and somewhat less selective than the very best summer programs, it is a less good option. This doesn't mean that attending the program wouldn't have value, of course! While attending Notre Dame Summer Scholars is certainly less impressive than attending RSI, for example, we still consider it more prestigious than the summer programs that didn't make our "Most Prestigious Summer Programs for High School Students" list at all. If attending the program won't present a financial burden for you and your family and you believe you will get something positive out of the experience, I think it would be a good option for you. If it would be a financial burden, however, it's probably not worth it, and your time might be better spent working on a self-driven extracurricular project instead.
It could very well be worth it depending on what you are looking for and what your family budget for a summer program is. Not very many HS students get to attend a T20 school during the summer and get familiar with the large campus and living away from home. It's like a test drive and I think that in itself is an invaluable experience. I don't think the 1 credit of college credit is that meaningful but rather a token gift for attending. I'm certain that cost aside may HS students would love the opportunity to do something like this before they have to start filing out college applications and doing virtual campus tours. It's not the same thing.
The only caveat I have is that make sure you can be on campus when this program occurs because 90% of the value to me is to physically go to Notre Dame, live in a dorm, eat in the cafeteria and be a college student in person. If they only have an online school, well that seems like a bust to me. There are so many online programs to earn college credits to choose from and that's not the same experience.
Here are some links to some other HS programs I found that are STEM-oriented as well.
https://www.cmu.edu/gelfand/education/k12-students-parents/highschoolprograms.html
https://www.ece.gatech.edu/outreach/pre-college-programs
https://www.vanderbilt.edu/community-relations/summer-programs/academic.php
https://ctlo.caltech.edu/outreach/summerprograms
Good Luck
I attended Marketing for the Common Good at Notre Dame this summer and I absolutely loved it, even virtually. My dream school is Notre Dame, so it provided me with demonstrated interest and a ton of information on the school. The best thing it gave me, also, was being able to connect with two professors at the school who both recommended me to the admissions board.
A paid program itself willl not help but preforming well in a college level class, expecially from a reputable university, will help. If you go, just make sure you are willing to work and stand out. Always get to class early to chat with the professors, this will help secure a letter of rec.
Best wishes and Go Irish!
Your chance of acceptance
Your chancing factors
Community Guidelines
To keep this community safe and supportive:
- Be kind and respectful!
- Keep posts relevant to college admissions and high school.
- Don’t ask “chance-me” questions. Use CollegeVine’s chancing instead!
I understand both the list of prestigious summer programs and this thread are 3 years old, but appreciate the opportunity to seek clarification notwithstanding. The Notre Dame program is ranked just after the highly selective Anson Clark program in terms of prestige. Yes, prestige on this list is mostly a subjective assessment apart from exclusivity, funded programs,, and the sponsoring institution profile. Why does ND get love here, but not comparable programs from more elite universities?