Most juniors and seniors have generated a plethora of pamphlets and letters that promote educational summer programs. But how many of those letters and pamphlets are overpriced programs hosted by colleges and universities?

    A colossal amount of prestigious universities reach out to students with programs that are priced insanely high. They utilize their prestige to attract a massive amount of students to participate in the summer program. According to the Washington Post’s contributing author Anne Kim, the vice president at the Progressive Policy Institute: Harvard’s program costs 4,600 dollars for two weeks, Brown’s program cost 2,776 dollars for four weeks, and Duke’s “Summer Academy” costs a total of 9,545 dollars. Andrew Belasco, the chief executive of College Transitions reveals the truth.

   According to the Washington Post, “Some of our parents who come to us have paid thousands of dollars to these programs thinking their students get an advantage, which is just not the case,” Belasco said.

   Some families may not have the financial means to fulfill colleges’ raging tuition for summer programs but still make an effort to send their teens. At the same time, many universities make a significant profit off of these programs.

   According to the Washington Post, “In 2015, a Brown University administrator told the campus newspaper that the school’s summer program had brought in $6 million that year, 70 percent of which was essentially profit,” Kim said.

   This is a great way to utilize their campus during the summer and generate some money but the tuition costs limit the number of people who can attend. Also, they are a great way to expose high school students to colleges they may be interested in and get a taste of the college lifestyle. Furthermore, Specialized programs can help high school students explore their potential career paths. Junior Hannah Kent comments on these programs.

   “I think that it’s an incredible opportunity, but you would probably have to be very interested in the university to want to attend,” Kent said. “I’ve gotten certain summer program letters from colleges like Stanford, and as intriguing as that is, I don’t necessarily see myself going there so I didn’t look into it much. They can also be expensive, which is a downside, but if it’s a college that you love and plan to attend, it could be helpful!”

   However, some high school students are misled to think that their attendance at the program will help them get into that particular college. This is due to the thousands of participants in the programs that exceed the number of students admitted. Also, some summer programs let high school students that do not meet the requirements to go to that particular school participate in the program. While some programs are a great opportunity, make sure to realize these aspects.