Bonus Material:PrepMaven’s Summer 2020 Calendar
- Free High School Summer Programs
- Research Programs For High School Students
- Summer Journalism Programs High School Students 2019
- Summer Journalism Programs High School Students Online
- The Cronkite School has cancelled summer high school camps summer due to the Covid-19 virus. Students who already have submitted their applications to the three Cronkite Camp programs — Summer Journalism Institute, High School Media Innovation Camp and the Cronkite Sports Broadcast Boot Camp — will be given first review for program opportunities in 2021.
- A digital journalism program for high school students, online and on campus at Stanford University. Will kick off our climate science journalism strand this summer. Mapes led the team that produced “Hostile Waters: Orcas in Peril,” an award-winning series sparked by Tahlequah, an orca who carried her dead calf for more than.
This in-depth, five-week program is designed for students who have just finished their junior year of high school and wish to become better writers and editors for print, online and broadcast. Enrollment is limited to 84 and students typically come from as many as 25 states and abroad.
Many colleges–including Princeton University–ask their applicants to answer the following question:
How did you spend your last two summers?
For most high school students, especially upperclassmen, summertime is a chance to unwind, catch up on sleep, and spend time with friends.
Relaxation is vital and frequently well-earned!
Yet filling your summers with other meaningful activities, including volunteering, research opportunities, and college programs, can be doubly vital. Rich summer experiences can help you solidify and jumpstart your classroom learning while connecting you with like-minded peers.
Plus, they can make it easier to answer that college application question–when that time comes!
Whether you’re a Princeton local or a student keen to spend time in proximity to Princeton University, this post is for you. Keep reading for insight into the best Princeton summer programs for high school students.
You’ll also get access to our Summer Calendar, which can help students organize the programs and activities they’ll be pursuing this summer. This calendar also includes information about virtual activities and online programs.
![Best high school summer programs Best high school summer programs](/uploads/1/1/8/8/118890653/799127365.png)
![Summer Summer](/uploads/1/1/8/8/118890653/517183476.jpg)
Grab this below.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
Note: In light of changing circumstances, many of the programs discussed in this post might now be virtual and/or canceled. Visit our20 Online Summer Options for High School Students postfor more information.
Princeton Summer Programs for High School Students
There are only two Princeton summer programs for high school students directly affiliated with Princeton University. These include the Laboratory Learning Program and the Summer Journalism Program.
If you’re eager to learn more about academic year opportunities at Princeton University, check out our post on Princeton courses for high school students.
Princeton University’s Laboratory Learning Program
This “full-time, free research experience in the sciences or engineering” is available to students 16 and older at the time of applying.
If accepted to this program, high school students participate in a research project with faculty members and fellow researchers for 7-10 weeks in the summer. Research opportunities vary every year.
Here’s a glimpse of summer 2019’s research projects, available in natural sciences and engineering:
- Denitrification in biological reactors and wetlands
- Machine learning on combustion
- Yielding in semicrystalline polymers
- The genetic and neurobiological underpinnings of social behavior
- Fluidics and optics in biophysics
- Cognitive and neural mechanisms of human sociality
Students can specify up to two projects they’re interested in when applying in the spring prior to the Laboratory Learning program’s start.
**Note: High school students do not receive any kind of academic credit for participating in this program. Nor does the Laboratory Learning program give Princeton University applicants a greater advantage in admissions.
Princeton Summer Journalism Program
Princeton’s Summer Journalism Program is a free residential summer opportunity for eligible high school juniors.
Every summer, forty participants spend ten days on Princeton’s campus, learning from professors, journalists, and alumni and collaborating together to produce the Princeton Summer Journal (published at program culmination).
The best part about this program? Its impact extends beyond the summer intensive. Following the program, each student is matched with a college advisor, who helps them navigate the college admissions process their senior fall.
**Note: Preference is given to high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds.
Princeton-Based Summer Programs
There are numerous Princeton summer programs for high school students hosted on Princeton University’s campus.
While these are not directly organized by the university, they offer high school students a chance to experience the campus and various facilities firsthand. Many of these programs are geared towards gifted learning, making them ideal for precocious learners eager to dive deep into subjects like coding, debate, journalism, and more.
Summer Institute for the Gifted
SIG participants have the chance to live on campus and utilize Princeton’s amazing facilities during this summertime intensive.
The Summer Institute for the Gifted at Princeton brings together talented students from all over the world for three weeks. As a SIG camper, you’ll have a chance to explore multidisciplinary curriculum spanning Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math, Humanities, and Fitness and Recreation on Princeton’s campus.
When not taking such courses, students can explore the Princeton Art Museum, Frist Campus Center, Prospect Garden, and more. Students age 13-17 are welcome to apply to this program.
JSA Summer School at Princeton University
This “pre-college academic experience” with the Junior State of America (JSA) gives students a chance to build leadership skills, debate with their peers, and participate in civic engagement activities.
JSA offers three-week programs at a variety of college campuses each summer, including Princeton. Princeton participants engage in weekly debate workshops and JSA’s speaker program, which brings students in close proximity to the nation’s best thinkers, lobbyists, analysts, and political leaders.
JSA also has a Freshman Scholars Program at Princeton, designed for rising 9th graders.
If JSA program cost is prohibitive, don’t worry! JSA does offer scholarships to eligible participants.
iDTech
For over ten years, iDTech has been giving students a chance to explore tech in its many forms through a summer intensive at Princeton. At this STEM summer camp, students explore machine learning, coding, artificial intelligence, robotics, and beyond.
iDTech prides itself on its stellar instructors (often industry experts), intimate class sizes, and accelerated, fun style of learning.
Classes are held at the Princeton Theological Seminary, Quadrangle Club, and Cloister Inn. iD tech camps, for students ages 7-17, are each one week long; iD coding and AI academy camps, for students ages 13-18, are two weeks.
Free High School Summer Programs
John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) at Princeton
CTY has long been lauded for its rigorous (and simply fun!) summer programs, hosted at a variety of college campuses in the U.S. High-achieving students experience intensive academics, team-building activities, and much more at CTY.
In 2019, 10th – 12th graders participated in Global Issues at Princeton, a three-week, residential summer program focused on some of the most pressing global issues in the 21st century. Courses change every year, so we recommend checking out CTY’s course catalog for updates.
Program in Algorithmic and Combinational Thinking (PACT)
Aspiring computer scientists and mathematicians won’t want to overlook PACT, a unique summer program that gives students a chance to dive deep into the world of theoretical computer science.
Research Programs For High School Students
This five-week educational program emphasizes the math and algorithms students need to know to succeed in the computer science field. It’s funded in part by Rutgers University and the National Science Foundation.
The only requirements for this program? “High school algebra, the willingness to work hard and be challenged, and, above all, the desire to learn.”
Some summer program students may be eligible to continue studying on Saturdays throughout the academic year.
Princeton Tutoring/PrepMaven Courses
PrepMaven and its sister site, Princeton Tutoring, have been providing academic tutoring, test, prep, and college counseling services since 2005.
The co-founders of the company are Princeton University graduates, and their team of 150+ tutors/instructors are comprised mostly of Princeton University undergraduates and graduates.
While their office is located within the Princeton Entrepreneurial Hub, they work with students across the country through live & online courses:
- SAT MasterClass – an SAT course led by one of the co-founders
- College Essay Workshop – work with an expert to complete the college essay in 4 weeks
- Grammar Workshop – grammar that is specially designed for high school students
- Academic Writing Workshop – build both thinking and writing skills
- Creative Writing Workshop – a professional screenwriter teaches foundational storytelling skills
Summer Journalism Programs High School Students 2019
Private tutoringis also available if preferred or if students can’t make the courses.
We want to reiterate that attendance of any of these programs does not advantage Princeton University applicants in any way. It’s important to apply to these programs for the experiences they offer, first and foremost. |
Download PrepMaven’s 2020 Summer Calendar
Summer Journalism Programs High School Students Online
Eligible students have a lot to choose from when it comes to competitive Princeton summer programs for high schoolers. That’s why we’ve created PrepMaven’s 2020 Summer Calendar, a helpful tool for organizing this summer’s activities, particularly those that are now virtual / online.
With this calendar, you’ll be able to:
- Identify your experiences of interest and start / end dates (if applicable)
- Narrow down this list of experiences to your top 3-5
- Block out these experiences on a digital calendar for an easy birds-eye view of your summer
- Find extra details and links to all of the summer programs mentioned in this list (we’ve done the work for you!)
- Document your time so you can feel confident filling out your college application resume down the road
Kate
Kate is a graduate of Princeton University. Over the last decade, Kate has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay.