Considering Pre-College Summer Programs

Many high school students consider attending a pre-college summer program to gain insights into the collegiate experience, boost your extracurricular activities, or enhance your college applications. For creative students, pre-college programs can be much more.

Pre-college programs for creative students allow you to try classes that might not be available at school, or that might not fit into your academic schedules. These may include fashion design, darkroom photography, set design, film-making, animation, illustration, product design, engineering, game design, creative writing, music composition, the list is endless.

Students will also get to know teachers outside of your school art teachers, increasing the opportunity for letters of recommendation, a valuable component of your college application.

They also allow students to experience being in an environment that would be similar to attending a BFA program, one where you are immersed in your art 24/7. You may find you love it, or you may decide you prefer the variety of a more traditional academic environment. Certainly, better to discover this during the summer than in college.

Many schools offer pre-college programs and they can vary in composition and length so selecting one is based on your needs and schedule.

In the visual arts, many programs include portfolio preparation, invaluable if you are entering your senior year, as this will be required for application into a BFA program.

In Film, students will often create short films, develop scripts, work behind the camera, and learn editing skills and software. All are great preparation for your applications as well as for teaching you new skills.

In the performing arts, programs may be centered around a performance, and/or preparing audition materials, allowing students to add to your creative resumes and prepare for the heavily competitive auditions for college BFA programs.  

How do you know if a summer program would be right for you?

Here are a few thoughts on the pros and cons of attending a summer college programs.

PROS

Many summer college programs offer direct exposure to college faculty which can provide you with opportunities for recommendations from a college faculty member, certainly a benefit, especially if applying to that school.

Depending on the pre-college program, attending could improve their admissions decision. Some colleges even provide a "preliminary" admissions decision at the end of the program.

CONS

Summer programs vary considerably, and may not be taught by the same faculty that are available during the academic year. Programs can be very expensive, especially when you consider any travel expenses as well as tuition. If you are concerned about costs and have found the perfect program, check to see if your program has a scholarship option and don’t be afraid to apply for additional funding.

See our list of programs our students have attended and loved here.

We know about many differing programs, contact us to find out what programs might be a good fit for you.