How to Find a Summer School Program That Meets Your Needs

If you're going to expend brain energy on studies over summer, get the most of it by finding the program that's best for you.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Academic Counselings
• Personal Organizers

1. Decide if summer school is right for you (see the Related eHows).

2. Find out if your academic-year school accepts credit from the schools you're considering.

3. Imagine your ideal scenario in terms of academics and location. Is there a program that has the classes you need and also looks like a fun place to spend a summer?

4. Think about what the school's location offers besides studying. Are outdoor activities important to you or do you prefer an urban environment?

5. Contact the admissions offices at various schools and ask if they can give you addresses of students who have attended summer school there. These students can be a great resource.

6. Visit with your school counselor for additional advice.

Tips & Warnings

• Start early. Gathering information, getting letters of recommendation and putting applications together can take time.

• Remember that lesser-known schools sometimes offer the best summer programs. Middlebury College, for instance, is famous for its fantastic summer language programs.

• Strongly consider attending summer school somewhere other than your academic-year school. It will broaden your educational experience.