College Summer Experiences: Are They Right for Your Child?

This time last year, my husband and I were mulling over vacation plans. Not for ourselves: for our youngest daughter, who would be entering her senior year in high school come the following September. These weren't exactly what we would consider 'vacation plans', to be honest. Beginning at the start of her junior year, quite a few trees had sacrificed their time on this earth to become fodder for brochures and pamphlets touting colleges' summer programs.

All sorts of colleges and universities, at every level, would like you to send your child to spend some time with them this summer. It may be for a two-week 'introduction to college life' program; it may be for a four to six week credit program. These weren't your 'run of the mill' schools either, if there are even any such thing anymore. Schools from whom we received brochures included Swarthmore, Boston College, Boston University, New York University, Fordham, Bucknell, and more. For the most part, the only prerequisite to be able to sending your child to a top-notch school - even for a short period of time - was your ability to pay for it. No SAT scores need be submitted! Personal checks, American Express and Master Card would do very nicely, thank you.

Are you paying (or investing) in your child's future so that they can get a true feel for what it's like to live on a college campus and take classes there? Or are you doing it to 'pad' their current resume for the actual applications process? Perhaps you're doing it so that you can tell Grandmom and Pop Pop (plus the neighbors, and those ladies in the soccer car pool) that little Susie or Brad will be attending NYU or Swarthmore - if only for two weeks? Only you can answer those questions truthfully - just as only you can answer if indeed, sending your child to a college 'enrichment' summer program is right for your own child.