Tips and resources for 9th-11th grade students for researching summer programs and leadership opportunities that support college preparation. This content is available at https://blog.raise.me/high-school-summer-planning-101/

1. Making
the Most
of Summer

2. 2Outline
1.Pre-College Summer Programs
2.College Visits
○ Diversity Fly-in Programs
3.Leadership Programs
4.Community Service and Work Experience
5.Personal Habits and Routines
In this session we’ll discuss
OUTLINE

3. 3Pre-College Summer Programs
Pre-College Summer
Programs
What’s that?
Most colleges and universities in the U.S. offer
programming in the summer for high school-age students.
The programs vary by topic, duration, and cost, but all offer
an opportunity to get better acquainted with the college
and their undergraduate student experience.
Potential benefits:
1. 🏢 Experience life on college - most offer housing in the dorms!
2. 👯♂️ Meet prospective students - these could be your future peers!
3. 📚 Take courses taught by professors and explore college majors
4. 💰 Earn micro-scholarships! - Login to see which colleges award for attending a summer
program

4. 4Pre-College Summer Programs
Pre-College Summer
Programs
Factors to consider:
1. Cost of attendance. Most have a tuition cost to enroll and many will have an additional fee for
room and board to live on campus. Many will offer financial aid for demonstrated need and/or will
have scholarship opportunities. When researching programs with scholarships, QuestBridge is a
good place to start!
1. Location. This a great opportunity to explore the environment you’re looking for after high school.
In most cases, tuition for a summer program will not include the travel costs to campus, so keep
this in mind when weighing the cost-benefit of particular programs.
1. Duration. These programs vary in length from as little as two weeks to as long as eight weeks. It’s
important to think about how much of your summer you can devote to a program and reflect on
what you hope to get out of the experience.

5. 5Pre-College Summer Programs
Pre-College Summer
Programs
Finding the right program:
Two places you can look to start your summer program research:
1. College Greenlight -- http://blog.collegegreenlight.com/blog/summer-pre-college-programs-2019/
2. Fastweb -- https://www.fastweb.com/college-search/articles/summer-programs-for-high-school-students
In a notebook, fill out the following table with your top 3 programs
College
Name
Location Program Dates Application
Deadline
Financial Aid? Program Focus
Ex:) Emory
University
Atlanta, GA Session B: June 30-
July 13
Rolling
Application
Yes but need
application ASAP
A range of non-
credit courses

6. 6College Visits
College Visits
Attending a pre-college summer program is one of the
most immersive ways to get a feel for college life while
you’re still in high school.
But maybe you aren’t ready for all that.
If that feels like you, making a trip to a nearby college
for a tour is a great place to start!
Potential benefits:
1. 🏛🏛 Get a feel for what it’s like on campus
2. 👥 Ask questions - the tour guides and admissions officers want to chat with you!
3. 🚇 Explore the surrounding town/city and get a feel for the entertainment scene
4. 💰 Earn micro-scholarships! -- Login to see which colleges award for visiting campus

7. 7College Visits -- Fly-in Programs
College Visits -- Fly-
in Programs
The benefits:
The visiting weekend arranged for fly-in students has special programming beyond what you’d
experience during a standard college tour! It’s a chance to connect with students who are seriously
considering applying to the institution and potentially meet your future classmates.
What’s that?
Many colleges will offer programs that cover the cost of travel for students that can’t afford to visit.
Students who apply and are accepted get to participate in a visiting weekend on the college campus at
little to no cost.
The bottom line: if you are interesting in visiting a college campus but are worried about the cost to get
there, don’t rule it out - you may be eligible for the fly-in reimbursement!

8. 8College Visits -- Fly-in Programs
College Visits -- Fly-
in Programs
Finding the right program:
One of the best sources we’ve found for researching fly-in programs is College Greenlight.
You can access their complete list of programs here:
● http://blog.collegegreenlight.com/blog/college-fly-in-and-diversity-programs/
As with pre-college summer programs, fly-in programs have applications, so you’ll want to
check the deadlines and work with your counselor to get the materials prepared.
● What are some questions you’d like to ask and who would you want to meet?
● What would you like to see included in the programming during one of those visit weekends?
● If you’re not able to participate in a fly-in program, what are some other ways you can try and
organize a college visit for institutions that aren’t nearby?

9. 9College Visits -- Fly-in Programs
College Visits -- Fly-
in Programs
RaiseMe College Partners with Fly-In Programs:
Bentley University Carnegie Mellon
Waltham, MA Pittsburgh, PA
https://www.bentley.edu/u
ndergraduate/falcon-
overnight
https://admission.enrollme
nt.cmu.edu/pages/celebrati
on-of-diversity-weekend
Earn $1,000 for a
campus visit
*Micro-scholarships eligibility requirements
may apply at some colleges. Sign into your
RaiseMe account to see if you are eligible to
earn micro-scholarships from a college.
Grinnell College Gustavus Adolphus
Grinnell, IA Saint Peter, MN
http://www.grinnell.edu/a
dmission/visit/on-
campus/programs
https://gustavus.edu/admissi
on/visit/fly-in.php
Earn $2,000 for a
campus visit
Earn $2,500 for a
campus visit

10. 10College Visits -- Fly-in Programs
College Visits -- Fly-
in Programs
RaiseMe College Partners with Fly-In Programs:
Kenyon College Lafayette College
Gambier, OH Easton, PA
http://www.kenyon.edu/visit-
kenyon/admissions-
events/cultural-connections-
visit-days/
https://admissions.lafayet
te.edu/obc/
Earn $750 for a
campus visit
Earn $1,000 for a
campus visit
*Micro-scholarships eligibility requirements
may apply at some colleges. Sign into your
RaiseMe account to see if you are eligible to
earn micro-scholarships from a college.
Whitworth University
Spokane, WA
http://www.whitworth.edu/cms/admi
nistration/admissions/visit/campus-
visit-travel-grant/
Earn $1,000 for a campus
visit

11. 11College Visits -- Fly-in Programs
College Visits -- Fly-
in Programs
RaiseMe College Partners with Fly-In Programs:
Luther College Rennselaer Polytechnic Univ of St. Thomas
Decorah, IA Troy, NY Saint Paul, MN
https://www.luther.edu/admissi
ons/visit/fly/
https://admissions.rpi.edu/STA
R/
https://www.stthomas.edu/fr/visi
t/fly-inprogram/
Earn $2,000 for campus
visit
Earn $1,500 for a campus
visit
Earn $1,000 for a campus
visit
*Micro-scholarships eligibility requirements
may apply at some colleges. Sign into your
RaiseMe account to see if you are eligible to
earn micro-scholarships from a college.

12. 12
College Visits -- Fly-in Programs
College Visits -- Fly-
in Programs
RaiseMe College Partners with Fly-In Programs:
Tulane University Univ of Denver Univ of Evansville
New Orleans, LA Denver, CO Evansville, IN
https://admission.tulane.edu/student
-life/diversity/access-programs
https://www.du.edu/admissio
n-aid/undergraduate/pioneer-
prep/index.html
https://www.evansville.edu/visi
t/flyinpolicy.cfm
Earn $1,000 for a campus
visit
Earn $1,500 for a
campus visit
Earn $2,000 for a campus
visit
*Micro-scholarships eligibility requirements
may apply at some colleges. Sign into your
RaiseMe account to see if you are eligible to
earn micro-scholarships from a college.

13. 13
College Visits -- Fly-in Programs
College Visits -- Fly-
in Programs
RaiseMe College Partners with Fly-In Programs:
Univ of Richmond Ursinus College Wash U of St. Louis Whitman College
Richmond, VA Collegeville, PA Saint Louis, MO Walla Walla, WA
https://enrollment.rochest
er.edu/multicultural-
visitation-program/
https://www.ursinus.edu/adm
ission/diversity-inclusion-and-
access/diversity-events/
https://admissions.wustl.
edu/washupreview
https://www.whitman.edu/ad
mission-and-aid/visit-
whitman/visit-scholarship-
program
Earn $500 for a
campus visit
Earn $1,500 for a
campus visit
Earn $1,000 for a
campus visit
Earn $3,000 for a
campus visit
*Micro-scholarships eligibility requirements
may apply at some colleges. Sign into your
RaiseMe account to see if you are eligible to
earn micro-scholarships from a college.

14. 14Summer Leadership Opportunities
Summer Leadership
Opportunities
Summer internships?
Many companies and institutions offer programming in
the summer as a learning and leadership experience.
These are often tailored for students finishing their
junior year and most require applications. Here are a
few examples:
● Bank of America Student Leaders
● Mathcamp
● Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Camp
● Telluride Association Summer Program
● Google Computer Science Institute
● National Institute of Health - Summer Internship Program

15. 15Community Service and Work
Service and/or Work
Other college-ready activities?
Besides visiting colleges and participating in formal programs, there are lots of ways to stay
engaged with your college-going journey. Getting involved in your community, whether that be
on a volunteer-basis or by holding down a job, demonstrates work ethic, responsibility, and
interpersonal skills; it makes you better prepared for getting in to and attending college.

16. 16
Habits and Routines
Habits and Routines
Suggestion #1 -- Read!
For the following reasons:
1. It’s fun! - see quote 😏
2. It’ll keep your mind engaged over the
summer so you can hit the ground
running at the start of the school year

17. 17
Habits and Routines
Habits and Routines
Suggestion #2 -- Sleep!
Use the summer to set some bedtime routines that you can carry over into
the school year. High quality sleep helps your body recover from exercise
and your brain store information that you learned that day.
Tips for good sleep:
1. Put away your devices at least an hour before bed
2. Set your room temperature slightly cool (68 degrees F is
recommended)
3. Block outside light - your room should be dark while you sleep!
4. Cut off caffeine at least 4 hours before bed
5. Eat your last meal at least 2 hours before bed so your body isn’t kept
awake digesting

18. 18Habits and Routines
Habits and Routines
Suggestion #3 -- Journal!
Summer is a good time to take a step back and
reflect on your year prior.
What went well? What are areas you’d like to
improve upon in the future?
Write this down and, if you’re motivated, try
keeping a daily journal. You can summarize daily
wins and an action or two you want to take
tomorrow. Or you can keep a habit tracker,
pictured right. In the grid, you mark each habit
you performed successfully on the day.

19. 19Exit Ticket
Exit Ticket
1. Identify 3-5 actions you want to make a habit -- meaning it is part of your routine and it’s
not very much effort to remember to do it.
a. These should be actions that don’t take much time and will help you feel good about
your day. For example, maybe you want to be more hydrated. You can make your
action drinking two full bottles of water a day.
2. In a notebook, draw a table like the one below with enough rows for 3 - 5 habits
3. Start with one week and, before you go to bed, mark an X for each habit you performed. It
may seem simple, but repetition is how actions become habits!
Habit M T W Th F S S
Drink at least two bottles of water X

20. Reset,
Reflect,
and Get
Ahead!