Feature Article: An Alternative to Summer Pay-for-Play Programming

One of the really great benefits of being on a professional social media platform like LinkedIn is that you get great tips, tricks, and ideas from colleagues. This article is all about that online collaboration. Special thanks to Jacob Kantor for continuing to share the wisdom of others he comes across online, so I (and many others) can share it with our readership.

I have had a great deal of discussions this year about summer planning for rising sophomores to seniors. The advice has always been simple. Focus on two and only two things: 1) attend summer programs that allow you to better understand a future major or career and 2) attend summer programs that sound really interesting to you. That’s it. Simple rules. Stick to it and you will find success!

Now, at this stage of the game, many summer programs have closed their doors. Now what do we do? Study for the SAT or ACT all summer? Go to the beach more often? My answer would be a resounding NO to both of those suggestions. Now, I’m not saying studying for one of those high-stakes tests is a bad idea – far from it – but studying excessively is a mistake, especially if you are not testing in the near future (August or September in particular). Going to the beach a couple of times is a great idea (work on the tan, the swimming, relax and enjoy time with friends, etc.), but there are better things to do as well. One such idea was presented in an article Jacob forwarded to me back in mid-March.

The allure of the Ivies is obvious in so many ways (logical is another matter). As such, lots of families focus on the summer programs hosted by Ivy League schools. In all honesty that doesn’t make them better summer programs than other summer programs, just that they are hosted by those schools. Attending one of these programs rarely influences the chances of admission of an undergraduate candidate. They also tend to cost many thousands of dollars to attend (if admitted), which for many families, is either illogical or simply not possible. So how else can students take advantage of learning opportunities from an Ivy League school without spending thousands on tuition (or flights back east)? MOOC’s, that’s how!

Wait. What in the wide world of sports is a MOOC? It stands for Massive Open Online Course. There are well over 400 different course options, all free to audit, offered up by the eight members of the Ivy League. The classes cover nearly every imaginable topic. Categories in the provided article cover programming in the headings of: Computer Science, Data Science, Programming, Humanities, Business, Art & Design, Science, Social Sciences, Health & Medicine, Engineering, Mathematics, Education & Teaching, and Personal Development. As you can clearly see, there’s so much available for you to explore! I would suggest perusing the myriad of intellectual opportunities in fields that you really know you want to pursue OR wish to learn more about, so you can make a better, more informed decision about your future pursuits.

For the article and entire list of available programs, please check this link out: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/ivy-league-free-online-courses-a0d7ae675869/