Free or Low-Cost Summer Programs for High School Students

This is the time of year for high school students to make exciting summer plans, especially for rising juniors and seniors. Highly selective colleges expect and truly care about how students spend their summers, aside from academic work and family trips. In fact, a number of top schools use one of their supplemental essays to ask about summer experiences. Powerful, creative summer programs reveal leadership and initiative that can help tip a student into a great college.