Kelly writes:
I am a college-bound teen — I hope — and am interested in your opinion about the value of me attending a summer camp to help me with the whole college choice, college application process. What are your thoughts?
The Career Doctor responds:
I remember when summer camps used to places for hiking, swimming, sitting around the campfire, and other fun activities — and while there are still camps like this — a growing number of college and career prep camps are offered to high-school students from around the country.
In the increasingly competitive college admissions process, some high school students, such as yourself — or your parents — are turning to college-bound programs offered by a variety of traditional and academic camps. And according to the American Camping Association, the number of member camps offering academics has grown about 15 percent over the last few years.
Students and parents are looking for that extra edge, whether in finding the perfect college, writing the admissions application and essay, or mastering one of the standardized admissions tests, are turning to both traditional camps that are adding academic enrichment programs and college-prep camps located on college campuses around the country.
These college-prep camps are expensive, but they are sold as a small investment into a very important decision… most of these camps costs several thousands of dollars for two- to four-week sessions.
Should you consider one of these camps? If you are considering some of the most prestigious colleges in the country, then these camps could help you in better understanding and better preparing for the admissions process, but if you are planning to attend one of the vast majority of colleges that fall in the middle (or lower) of the rankings, then it might make more sense to use the resources already available to you at school, in books, and online.
Read more in this article published on Quintessential Careers: Are Summer College Prep or Academic Enrichment Camps Right for You?
