Summer Programs for Scientists

"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious - the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science." 

-Albert Einstein

To continue the series on summer programs, below is a selection of extremely high quality and competitive summer programs for high school scientists. Research to figure out whether a program is good for you, and to learn more about deadlines, tuition, and application requirements. If these programs do not work out, you can always try contacting research institutions at nearby universities for internships. Let me know if you need assistance. 

• Center for Excellence in Education Research Science Institute
• Summer Science Program (SSP)
• DEEP Summer Academy
• COSMOS
• MIT Summer Programs

Many Young People Flourish in Boarding Schools

I wrote a letter to the editor at the South China Morning Post in response to Kelly Yang's column "Think Twice before Farming out Parental Duties to Boarding Schools." It was published in the paper and the website today, Tuesday April 21. 

Here is a link. Full text is below:

In reply to Kelly Yang's column, "Think twice before farming out parental duties to boarding schools" (April 1), I would say think twice before dismissing these schools.

I graduated from Phillips Academy Andover and then Harvard University in 2009. Despite what her article might lead your readers to think, my time at Andover was not dominated by substance abuse; I was not sexually harassed; I maintain a close relationship with my mother. I had a great boarding school experience, and I am not the exception to the rule.

If Yang's issue is with sending students to boarding school too young, then she should narrow the scope of her argument instead of making sweeping criticisms of boarding school.

She says boarding school is recommended when a student is internally motivated to apply. Of course, it would be great if all 13-year-olds knew exactly what they wanted, but that is rarely the case. Parents are often the ones to find, and then direct and nurture, ambitions and opportunities for their children. I did not know much about Andover before my mother suggested applying. That does not mean it was the wrong choice for me, or that I gained less from attending than a student who knew of the opportunity earlier.

Boarding schools are not the only places where dangers lurk. School administrations need to be held accountable for punishing and weeding out threats. That does not mean boarding school as a concept is flawed.

In the end, top boarding schools will accept students who are likely to flourish and willing to attend.

Families should be realistic and informed when applying, and of course prioritise the student's needs. On the other hand, parents thinking about boarding schools should realise they will miss their child immensely. Though my mother does not regret her decision, she does regret that we missed out on some of the last years we could have lived together under the same roof.

Juli Min, New York

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Many young people continue to flourish in boarding schools

SHSAT Proposed Reforms

Last Friday, April 17, 2015, I attended a panel hosted by the Asian American Bar Association of NY on proposed reforms for the SHSAT, or Specialized High School Admissions Test (pronounced "shazat"). In 2012, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed a federal civil rights complaint on the unfairness of using standardized testing as the only measure of admissions - the process, they assert, is cutting out worthy students from African American and Latino communities. The case is ongoing. 

There are only a handful of Specialized High Schools in NYC that use the SHSAT as their one and only standard of admission, including Stuyvesant and Bronx Science. This single-standard admissions process has created "Hawaii's within New York" - for example, Stuyvesant right now is 72% Asian, 24% White, 2.4% Hispanic, and 2% Black. 

The panel included a co-chair of the Specialized HS Task Force, a former NYC School Superintendent, senior counsel from the NAACP LDC, and the director of a non profit that provides test prep to students in Black and Hispanic communities. 

A lot was said about why the SHSAT may or may not be fair. Some listed ways the exam was overly confusing and complicated, impossible to master without test prep. Others said testing was the only fair and objective measure. Some rallied against prep culture. Others blamed the issue on a lack of publicity. Some claimed that multiple measures admissions is more comprehensive and fair. Others pointed out that schools using multiple measures have their own issues around racial inequality. 

The point that cut through the chatter, however, belonged to former Superintendent Edward Seto: "We need to take it back to the root cause." He pointed out that test scores for Latino and African American students were already significantly lower by early middle school. The specific format of the high school test was not the real problem; the problem was the inequality that pervades the system from much earlier on, and the administration's failure to address it. When panelists championed programs like DREAM, Seto pointed out that funding had been cut from the program's transportation, and many eligible students weren't even able to attend sessions. Whereas everyone postulated about why the SHSAT should be tweaked slightly this way or that, Seto encouraged us to think about the root issues, and challenged the administration to put its money where its mouth is. 

I agree - if we want equality, we need to institutionalize it, equalize it across location and class, and fund it.

Summer Programs for Techies

"Before you  become too entranced with gorgeous gadgets and mesmerizing video displays, let me remind you that information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, and wisdom is not foresight. Each grows out of the other, and we need them all." 

- Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey 

This post is geared towards high school students interested in technology, coding, and startups. I'll have another post for mathematicians and scientists shortly. If you're in college or out of college, and looking for coding bootcamps, please skip to the last paragraph of this post. 

Because technology is so popular right now, there are endless opportunities for students who either know how to code, or are willing to learn. Below are a subset of summer programs and organizations; some are specifically for young women coders, or for certain minority groups. Research each one to determine what learning or working experience is best for you, and do let me know if I should add more to my list. 

Larger organizations may sometimes take the occasional star coder from high school. But that is the exception to the norm. If you're looking to gain work experience, try reaching out to volunteer or intern at a program that is also geared towards teens your age. How about offering to work for your coding tuition, or spearheading the coding program at your school? Otherwise, if a program or a work opportunity doesn't work out, you can always take classes online through Udacity, Coursera, Khan, Codecademy, etc. 

If you're planning to work on your own app or project, remember to structure your summer to prepare for success. 

• Teens in Tech
• Girls who Code
• App Camp 4 Girls
• Black Girls Code
• Flatiron School Pre-College
• Coder Dojo (and Dojocon)
• iD Tech
• Digital Media Academy
• Code in the Schools
• Code Now

If you are out of college and you'd like to enroll in a coding bootcamp to take your skills to the next level, check out Skilled Up's Ultimate Guide to Coding Bootcamps. And network, network, network to learn about startups in your area that may need coders or interns. 

Summer Programs for Writers

"Write the best story that you can and write it as straight as you can." 

- Ernest Hemingway

Are you the next Hemingway or JK Rowling? If your passion is writing (fiction, poetry, screenwriting, play-writing, etc.), consider some of these summer programs for young writers. I have chosen these for their prestige, competitiveness, rigor, quality, and reputation. Many of the programs listed below are hosted at universities that host the country's most prestigious MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) programs in writing, and many times the teachers at the programs are MFA faculty and candidates themselves. Talk about mentorship!

Meet other talented peers, workshop your pieces, and prepare to enter national writing competitions. I'll have another post shortly on writing contests and opportunities. Make sure to check deadlines, and mark them in your calendar for next year if this coming summer does not work out. 

• University of Iowa Young Writers Studio
• University of Iowa Between the Lines
• Princeton University Summer Journalism Program
• Stanford University High School Summer College
• UVA Young Writers Workshop
• Telluride Association
• Interlochen
• Juniper Institute for Young Writers
• Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop
• Walnut Hill School for the Arts
• Sarah Lawrence Writers Workshop
• California State Summer School for the Arts

As always, reach out if you have any questions, or need assistance with your application.