Choosing the Right Summer Program for 2026
As fall comes to a close, this is when the most serious students begin mapping out their summer. Several selective programs for 2026 are already open or about to open, and the strongest applicants — especially those targeting highly selective universities — don’t wait until spring to decide how they’ll use their time.
A meaningful summer does far more than “fill space.” It sharpens your direction, challenges your thinking, and produces work colleges can actually evaluate. Here’s a straightforward framework for choosing a program that moves you forward, with examples from Ivy Link students whose choices made a real impact.
Choose a program that matches your academic interests.
Selective colleges look for students who build depth with intention. A summer program only serves you if it strengthens an interest you already possess — something that feels natural, not manufactured.
If public health interests you, Yale Summer Session’s Epidemiology and Public Health has you analyzing real case data instead of reviewing surface-level summaries.
If you’re wired for abstract problem-solving, Brown’s Abstract Algebra and Proof requires the kind of formal reasoning top math departments expect.
These programs matter not because of the university logo, but because they stretch your thinking in the subjects that feel natural to you.
Choose a program that aligns with your talents.
Strong programs don’t reshape your identity. They clarify it.
One Ivy Link student with a disciplined writing voice took Columbia’s narrative nonfiction course and spent three weeks revising a single profile. That piece later shaped her application because it showed mastery, not dabbling.
Another student, unsure of his fit in STEM, enrolled in UPenn’s Biomedical Research Academy. Working with real datasets and faculty researchers gave him a clearer sense of direction — and the work to back it up.
When the expectations are high, your strengths become visible.
Where Ivy Link Supports Students in This Process
Most students don’t immediately recognize which programs carry academic weight, which generate meaningful output, and which quietly function as expensive campus tours. Ivy Link works closely with students to identify programs that match their direction, secure early seats when timelines are tight, and help them produce work that strengthens their overall academic story.
For many Ivy Link students, summer becomes the point where their interests sharpen into direction.
Choose a program that produces real output.
Admissions officers look for evidence — research, writing, experiments, data analysis, or completed projects. A strong program leaves you with something substantial:
Cornell Engineering’s CURIE Academy: engineering design challenges with formal project documentation
Harvard Secondary School Program: research papers or policy analyses grounded in primary sources
Penn Biomedical Research Academy: data-driven lab assignments and a final research presentation
These outputs later appear in activity lists, supplemental essays, or recommendations because they illustrate learning, initiative, and growth. Programs that produce nothing — no writing, no analysis, no project — rarely carry weight in a selective pool.
Choose a program where initiative matters.
Colleges at the highest level evaluate initiative more seriously than titles. They look for students who can think independently, assume responsibility when it matters, and lead with clarity rather than position.
At Yale Young Global Scholars, one student led her capstone team through a policy simulation because she could structure the argument and synthesize the research.
At Wharton’s Data Science & Business Analytics program, another student presented the final model because he was the only one who could interpret the dataset clearly.
These moments matter because they demonstrate judgment under real academic pressure.
Avoid programs that trade on prestige without substance.
Not all programs with recognizable names offer meaningful academic value. Many pre-college options are residential experiences with minimal rigor, light coursework, and the implication, often subtle that attending boosts admission chances.
Admissions officers can differentiate between programs that demand real work and those that simply fill summer enrollment. A meaningful program challenges you, produces output, and leaves you with something measurable to build on. Prestige without substance does not differentiate you in an Ivy League pool.
For Summer 2026 Specifically
As applications open, think about what you want your next academic step to look like:
Neuroscience or Cognitive Science: Brown’s advanced neuroscience seminars and UPenn’s biomedical research tracks offer structured lab exposure you can convert into writing or research extensions.
Politics, Law, or Public Policy: Harvard’s Government and Legal Studies courses allow you to produce full-length analyses grounded in primary documents.
Engineering: Cornell’s CURIE Academy provides real engineering design work and documented output you can continue refining through junior and senior year.
Strong summer choices all share one trait: they move you forward in a way that becomes part of your narrative, not just a line on an activity list.
If you’d like help identifying and securing programs that match your goals and elevate your academic profile, Ivy Link can guide you through that process.
