Quote:
Originally Posted by Munchkin03
I'd never heard of Lead America until this post. I'm extremely wary of summer programs that aren't tied directly to a university, as many of them are just cash cows that won't necessarily help students in any way. I'm not going to name any of them specifically since I'm sure there are plenty of GC-ers who are alumni of, or sent their kids to, those programs.
The Barnard program is highly regarded. Women's leadership initiatives are huge right now, because it's becoming more and more evident that women will succeed with great female mentors. Also, the Barnard campus is self-contained and pretty safe--I'm not sure where Lead America is housing their students.
As far as college applications, I'm not sure how much one program vs. the other will make a difference, honestly.
Is your daughter still interested in Brown?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DrPhil
That's exactly what I was going to say. I'm a strong supporter of summer programs that are directly tied to a college or university.
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Yes, she is still very interested in Brown. Right now, it is her top choice and she is thinking she will apply early decision there and early acceptance at Michigan. Michigan's is not binding, but she wants to know early that she has gotten in somewhere to relieve the stress of it all a little. Michigan is her last choice school right now. She was also accepted to Brown's summer pre-college program but since she is considering Columbia, she wants to see what it is like to actually live in NYC and see the Columbia campus, whether it could feel like home, etc. She's already pretty enamored with pictures of Brown's campus and we will visit there sometime this summer or early in the fall. She wants to really test the waters at Columbia/Barnard to see how she would like it.
I'm also wary of the Lead America thing without the direct tie to a college or university. The Digital Media and Journalism one she is thinking about there is at Fordham University, but is not directly related to the school. I had never heard of it either. I presume you're thinking of People to People as one of the other programs that really doesn't do anything. She has been on their European Discovery trip and it was an experience of a lifetime, but the goal wasn't the same as these summer programs either. We knew it was just a really amazing, once in a lifetime trip.
Over the past two weeks we have been to local presentations by Brown, Columbia, Northwestern, and the University of Chicago. Those are her top picks at this moment, with Michigan as a "safety" school. She really wants out of this state though and I cannot blame her. There are unique things about each school that really interest her.
We have to put the deposit down on Barnard tomorrow if she is picking that one. I'm pretty sure that's where she's going to go.
ETA: SAT results come out online on Saturday. She's either going to be very happy or have a meltdown. I'm already bracing myself...
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