Understanding the Saturday Morning Science Program

The first thing to note is that this program is run by the Baylor College of Medicine, rather than Baylor University. These schools are not related, despite having the same name and both being based in Texas (and having a very popular jointly administered BS/MD program). Yes, this is confusing. No, there isn’t anything anyone can do about it. 

This program specifically serves students in grades 6-12 who live in the Houston area (And surrounding suburbs). The primary goal of the program is to increase student access to medicine, and to inspire underrepresented students and populations to consider and pursue careers in the field. 

The program itself has three branches: Spring, Summer, and Fall programs. We’ll cover each individually.

This is a virtual program, hosted on Zoom, for students in grades 6-12. While it has alternated between in person and virtual in previous years, it seems that they are committing to virtual in 2026; future years remain to be seen. While this program is primarily intended for students in the Houston area, due to its virtual nature, students from other states who are interested in healthcare are also invited to attend. 

The program consists of two-and-a-half hour sessions on Zoom on four Saturdays in April and May. The first half of each session is a large group lecture from a guest lecturer, and the second half will be small group activities directed by BCM faculty and staff. You need to commit to attend at least three of the sessions, and participate in the group discussion, in order to be eligible for the program. 

The application to participate in this program is due in April. To apply, you must complete a statement (at least a few sentences in length, but up to half a page) on your career goals and interest in the SMS program. If you have previously participated in SMS, you should include a few sentences about what you gained from it previously, and what you hope to gain from it this year. 

This is a summer program which allows students who have already participated in one of SMS’s other programs to take part in an intensive eight week research project with a BCM researcher. This program requires around forty hours of work each week, and also gives students access to weekly professional development sessions, where you learn more about the process of research and careers in healthcare generally. 

At the conclusion of the program, you will get to present your research to other program participants at a symposium. You will have other chances to share your research during the following school year. Note that some of the specifics of this program are determined by individual researchers and labs, but that you must commit to the full eight weeks if you are accepted. 

This program is only open to students who are 18 or older by the program’s start date. You must also be a US citizen or permanent resident, and legally eligible to work in the US. This program is incredibly popular, and has a limited number of seats available, due to the number of participating researchers. 

In order to apply, you must have your school complete a nomination form, and must complete and submit their application. This includes a personal statement of your research interests and career goals, which can highlight past research experiences. You must also include a resume. 

The Fall program is in many ways similar to the Spring program. It consists of virtual, two-and-a-half hour sessions hosted via Zoom, held on Saturday mornings. Each session begins with a lecture, and concludes with students breaking into small groups for discussion. Like the Spring session, this is open to students in grades 6-12. It is open to both Texas residents and those from other states, due to its virtual nature. 

The main difference between the Fall and Spring programs is the number of total sessions; there are six in Fall, compared to just four in Spring. You must commit to attending at least four of the sessions when you apply to the Fall program. Aside from this, the application components and requirements are exactly the same as the Spring program.

Is Saturday Morning Science Right for You?

The answer to this depends on your interests of course, but SMS does have a number of features to recommend it. The first is how broadly available it is, especially to younger students. High school students always have more and better options to explore subjects than their peers in middle school, and so those students in grades 6-8 should make note of programs like this one. 

The Fall and Spring programs are not capstone or headlining activities. They are quite nice, yes, but they give little in the way of practical experience. They are, however, also low commitment, and even older students generally lose very little if they want to participate in them. We do advise younger students to focus more heavily on these, while older students look to more serious undertakings, but these programs won’t cost anything. 

The Summer program is a capstone, the kind of intensive research experience that highly benefits all students who participate, and which admissions officers love to see. This is somewhat more limited than many programs of this sort, due in large part to the age requirement; you must be 18 by the start date of the program. Thus some students may be able to participate in this program in the summer after their junior year, but others will have to wait until the summer after their senior year. 

For college admissions, understandably, participating in the summer after your junior year is far more beneficial; colleges are unable to notice programs you take part in after your application is submitted. That said, it can be useful even if you are participating in the summer after your senior year; lab experience once helps you gain lab experience again, and if you are planning on a career in medicine, then getting this kind of experience early is always a good idea. 

Local Outreach Programs

Saturday Morning Science is just one example of a local outreach program, something pretty much all colleges and universities take part in. These are often distinct from their summer programs and other offerings, tailored specifically to the communities they are in. Here are some key traits of these programs (not every program has every trait, but these are commonalities for many of them): 

• Framed as outreach programs. The goal of these programs is to get students interested in various fields generally, often but not always STEM.
• Free. These programs are free of charge.
• During the school year. These programs take place during the school year, often on weekends, and are generally quite short in duration; a day or two, or a few weekends in a row.
• Location dependent. These programs are only for students who are local to a particular college. Some partner programs are only for students at a particular school.

These programs exist for many reasons, but a major one is that colleges want to give back to the communities they are part of. Colleges are often a major employer and business, and they want to stay on good terms with the locals. Providing opportunities like this is a great way to start.

If you are interested in STEM, or really any subject, you should begin by looking at the outreach programs offered by colleges near you. Many of these are less serious or intensive (though there are sometimes higher level internships offered), but are a great introduction to these fields, and since they are often free, can be explored with little risk. This is especially true for younger students, those in middle school or underclassmen in high school, who often have fewer opportunities. 

Final Thoughts

You may or may not know that you want to be a doctor in middle school, but you may be considering it, and all the more so as you enter high school. In those circumstances it is best to pursue that curiosity, to see if this field is really the kind of thing you are interested in engaging with long term. Saturday Morning Science is just one program to enable that, but it is an excellent option for students in Houston.

If you are looking for help applying to SMS, or in finding programs that will enable you to explore your passions, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our mentors are skilled at helping you discover the right opportunities to support your interests, and pursuing them to great heights. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more; we’re always happy to hear from you.

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Why Publication Takes So Long

The publication process is very complicated; we’ve discussed this in prior articles, but we’re going to break it down again here simply. In short, when you submit a paper to a journal, it goes through the following steps: 

1. It is reviewed by an editor (unpaid). They make sure that the paper fits the theme of the journal and is coherent; a research paper on squids can’t be published in a computer science journal (unless you’ve taught the squids to code). 
2. The editor sends it to peer reviewers (unpaid). These reviewers are professional academics in the field, who evaluate your work for quality and scientific coherence. They make notes on the paper, and send it back.
3. You are expected to revise your paper based on these notes. 95% of papers submitted receive notes before publication. 
4. The paper is given a final check for formatting by the editor (still unpaid).
5. The paper is published, either online, which can be immediate, or in the next edition of the journal, which takes however long it is before that comes out. 

Each of these steps takes time, often quite a bit of it. The exact amount is variable based on the journal, but this is always compounded because all of the people doing the work are unpaid. Being a peer reviewer or editor is generally a volunteer position, even for quite prestigious journals. Thus the ten to twenty hours of work required to properly review a paper may fall down their list of priorities. They’ll get to it, certainly, but it will take time. 

This then raises the question of where the publication fees are going, if they aren’t spent on reviewers or editors; after all, accessing journals often takes a lot of money too. That’s an issue for another article, but suffice to say the system is not designed for the well-being of academics. 

Speeding the Publication Process

The publication itself is somewhat inflexible, but there are ways you can speed it, some of which are more feasible than others. We’re going to go through each in turn, in order to discuss the pros and cons, and which may be best suited for your situation. 

Publishing Via Pre-Prints

We’ve discussed pre-prints before, and the pros and cons of them. In short, pre-prints are articles which are published and disseminated publicly without going through the peer review process. Not needing to be reviewed removes pretty much the entire waiting period for publication, so this is by far the fastest option, but it is also one with some of the most issues. 

The biggest con is that most colleges are wary of peer-reviewed papers. Top scholars with established publication histories can benefit from publishing pre-prints, especially if they worry that someone else will publish first. High school students, however, really need the accreditation that comes from peer review, the confirmation from a third party that their research is meritorious. In most circumstances, we advise all students not publish using pre-prints. 

Paying to Expedite the Process

Some, but not all, journals offer a fast track to review and publication. This is more common in journals aimed at high school students, but some professional journals offer it as well. This is often a significant additional fee, but guarantees your paper is reviewed on a set timeline. Note that this is still a full review, and will still take some time, including your response to any comments on your paper. All it does is shorten the editorial and peer review process by moving your paper to the top of the priority stack. 

This can be a good option, though the timeline for these reviews, even expedited, is often still extensive, especially depending on how many revisions are required. In addition, many journals which offer this service are less reputable. This isn;t true of all of them of course, but you should beware of paper mills, journals which will publish near anything without a proper review. This is a growing problem for academics of all stripes, but is especially troublesome for high school students. 

If a journal you are submitting to has an expedited option, and you know the journal is reputable, then this can be a reasonable option if it is within your budget. This is not ideal however, and the time savings can be variable.

Presentation at a Conference

The final option is to present your research at a conference. These are held regularly in all disciplines, and allow researchers to present their findings. The review for conferences is far faster, due to the logistics of conferences; if your research is submitted by the deadline, it will be reviewed and entered into the conference proceedings. In most cases, you will then be able to present a poster at the conference, where you highlight your work and results. 

Some conferences will further review and publish a compilation of presentations, though this can take far longer. Presenting in a conference alone, however, is seen as an equivalent accomplishment to publishing in a journal; indeed, in some fields almost all research is disseminated through conferences. 

You will have to find a conference which is related to your subject of study, and which is still accepting submissions. The review process is much faster for conferences, but they are very set in terms of timing, and it is still far from instantaneous. It is probably one of the best options for students who are looking to publish quickly however, and one we help many of our students pursue. 

Publication and College Admissions

Getting into a great college isn’t the only reason to do research, but publishing serious and thoughtful research is a great boon to most applications. This, then, has students very eager to publish before they submit their applications, something that causes a lot of stress, especially for those applying early decision. It can be nerve wracking, even with these expedited means, submitting a paper and waiting to hear back as deadlines creep closer. 

Here, however, there is something you need to know: submission for publication in a journal or presentation at a conference is generally weighed the same as the publication itself. Now, admissions officers do tend to be reticent to discuss exactly how they evaluate research; when approached for comment directly every school we spoke to demurred. This is, however, something we are confident on based on conversations with them, and other sources within universities. 

This makes sense; colleges are in the business of producing research, and they know exactly how lengthy and difficult of a process it is. What they care about is the legitimacy of the research you did; submitting it for publication, having it under consideration, shows your dedication to the process, your desire for legitimate academic exploration. 

This is heartening, but does still leave some students nervous. If you are concerned, then you can also send admissions officers an update letter once your paper is published. Now, admissions officers only want update letters if there’s been a major update to your candidacy, but publishing research definitely counts. This tends to be more applicable to students applying regular decision, but can be done by students applying early as well. 

Admissions officers are not trying to make your life more difficult, and they do want to extend you understanding. If you tell them where you are in the publication process, and explain how you have substantially contributed to the process of research, then it will be beneficial to your application.

Final Thoughts

You do not need to complete research to get into a great college, but it’s quite clear why so many students pursue it. With how much work a research project takes, it’s also clear why students want to get credit for doing it, and why there’s so much stress about how long it takes to publish research. We hope this article has helped you understand why the process takes so long, and what you can do to speed the process. 

Publication is quite a confusing process, as research itself is; very different from anything you do in high school, even in AP courses designed to facilitate research. If you are looking for further help understanding these processes, or expert guidance conducting and publishing your research projects, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our research mentors have long experience in their fields, and are quite capable of guiding you through the entire research process. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you. 

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Our Admissions Data

We aren’t going to provide a full picture of our admissions data, in large part because the numbers often fluctuate widely, and to prevent any of our students being identified. We also aren’t going to include data where there isn’t a statistically significant amount; we had no students apply to Caltech or Cornell (an interesting point on its own); we had just one application to MIT, which was rejected, and two to Northeastern, both accepted.

While we would like to brag about a hundred percent acceptance rate to Northeastern, that doesn’t feel quite honest. With that in mind, here’s the data from the past year in admissions: 

This is a lot of numbers, so for an easier set of comparisons, here’s that same data on a handy graph:

We’re very proud of all our students have accomplished, and our mentors for helping them so much on their journey.

Trends in Applications and Admissions

Along with the successes, we’ve seen some other trends in admissions. These are based on a small slice of data, but do match some of what we’re seeing and hearing from both others in our industry, and admissions officers themselves. We’re going to go through what we’re seeing, and what these mean for the students who are now preparing to apply this fall, and in future admissions cycles. 

An Increase in Public School Applications

³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø has been doing this for a long while, over ten years at this point, and this past year was one of the highest application rates for public universities we have seen. Now, students have always aimed at public colleges, and these are great schools, but this year, far more students applied to flagship state schools alongside, or in place of, top private universities. 

University of Washington is a great school, with many great programs. This year, however, we saw more students interested in applying to UW than Dartmouth, Princeton, and Cornell. Based on what our students say, they are motivated primarily by two factors: a desire for merit scholarships at these schools, and the increasing level of competition at private colleges.

Scholarship Interest

Students have long been interested in scholarships, both generally and those we work with. College costs a lot of money, more so every year. We have, however, seen many more students interested in pursuing honors programs and scholarships at both public and private colleges, putting equal emphasis on these and on more expensive private colleges, which may have a slightly higher ranking, but offer less financial support. 

We had some remarkable successes doing this with students this year, achieving honors scholarships to UT Austin and University of Washington, and merit scholarships to Texas A&M and University of Houston, amongst others. We did receive scholarship offers from private schools, including Yale and NYU, but the increased interest in public schools and their scholarship programs is noteworthy. 

A Fall Off on Lower Tier Private Schools

Certain schools have always attracted less interest; Fordham has always been less popular than NYU, Southern Methodist University has always been less of a draw than Texas A&M. This year, however, we have seen very few applications to these schools compared to previous years. 

Now, there is always some fluctuation in which schools receive interest from our students; we saw far more applicants to Yale than Princeton this year; two years ago it was the reverse. This, however, is a decrease across the board in interest in lower ranked private universities. We did still see some applications, but far fewer than we observed in previous years.

There have been several factors contributing to this, but the largest one we have heard from students is cost. These schools cost a lot of money, far more than their private counterparts. When there is a major prestige advantage, students and parents are willing to accept that. When there isn’t a major advantage in prestige, then there is the question of why they would choose these schools over a more affordable option.

This matches broader trends we are seeing in the application landscape, where lower ranked private schools are seeing significant reductions year over year in the number of applications they receive. Many of them are already alarmed by this, with fears that if these trends continue, some universities may have to shutter, as they often rely heavily on tuition money to keep the lights on.

Implications for Future Applicants

Those are the trends we’ve seen developing, but what does all of this mean for students who are just now thinking about their applications, the current crop of juniors for whom college admissions is looming on the horizon? We can’t predict the future, but like any good captain, we can see how the currents are running, and make predictions on the courses that will follow. 

The first major takeaway is that public colleges, especially flagship state universities, are going to get more competitive. We already saw this happen to schools like UT Austin and UNC Chapel Hill, but we predict it happening to further schools as well; University of Washington, Texas A&M, Purdue, UIUC, all of which already have some very competitive programs, but which are growing more popular quite quickly. 

Schools which may have once been safeties are moving out of that category as this interest increases, driven by economic pragmatism. At the same time, some third tier private universities are seeing their application numbers drop, and may become easier to apply to, though this is harder to predict for any given university or application. 

We also anticipate applications for honors programs and merit scholarships to grow more competitive, as students who once sought out private universities now put far more consideration on these offerings from public institutions. Honors colleges have always been competitive of course, but the trend line is headed upwards, though it’s hard to say how steep it is as yet. 

Finally, we anticipate more scrutiny of student research projects as they become more popular. Research that is well done with heavy involvement by the student is notable, and something universities like to see, but not all research falls into this category. Just as admissions officers became overwhelmed by students creating nonprofits without purpose, so too are admissions officers growing wary of research that isn’t done seriously. Our research program is scrupulous and driven to produce actual serious work, but not all companies are so dedicated. 

Final Thoughts

College admissions changes slightly each year, as students react to shifting economic pressures, and colleges roll out new initiatives and priorities. These changes are often gradual, but accumulate over time; admissions now is very different from five years ago, and will change again in another five years. We hope that this article has helped you understand some of the changes we saw in admissions this year, and how this will impact the college application cycle going forward.

If you are worried about your own upcoming college admissions, and want a guide through this shifting and byzantine landscape, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our students see great results in the admissions process, regardless of where they’re applying. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you.

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The Honors Academy is Texas A&M’s university-wide honors program. This is a classic honors college, where students have their own housing, advising program, and coursework. While most of the courses you take for the program are non-honors, students in the program either take or an ; in both students take additional honors-level coursework, and receive additional recognition at graduation.

Honors students get additional mentorship and networking opportunities with professors, and honors classes tend to be smaller and more discussion based. While they are more challenging, they allow for a deeper level of exploration of the material at hand. Honors students are encouraged to complete , but these are not required. 

The Honors Academy is open to students in any major. Students may participate in both this program and department or major specific honors programs; indeed, this is often encouraged. Students are also encouraged to join honors societies on campus, though this is not compulsory. 

The Honors Academy does not provide any additional scholarships of its own. Many students in the academy do receive scholarships from A&M, but this is correlation, and getting into the Honors Academy does not guarantee additional scholarship funding. Honors housing has the same costs as any other university housing. 

Applying to the Honors Academy

Applications to this program are available both to incoming freshmen, and to current students at Texas A&M. This program requires a separate application; you can indicate interest on the Common App, and once you apply, you will be sent an email with a link to the Honors application. 

Of note is that there are no set minimum eligibility requirements to apply to the honors academy. While academic excellence is expected, they don’t set a firm bar for where that is; instead they admit the best students in each incoming class of applicants to the honors program.

Now, Texas A&M unfortunately doesn’t make their full honors application available online to view. We don’t know in full what it contains, but much like other honors applications, the goal is to assess whether or not you’re prepared academically and socially to be part of their program, by analyzing your grades, extracurriculars, and essay submissions. For advice on answering honors program essays generally, see our article here. 

This program is specifically for engineering students, and offers them access to a small and supportive community within the broader Engineering College. The primary benefit is access to honors courses; these tend to be smaller than regular courses, and are presented at a higher level, letting students get a better overall grasp of the material and explore it in more depth. Unlike the general Honors Academy, engineering honors students do not automatically get access to honors housing.

All honors students take part in a research experience, and have an advisor for the program specifically to help connect them with research projects aligned with their interests. In addition to this, students have access to additional networking events and opportunities, and more chances to connect with those in industry and graduate programs.

The final benefit is priority registration for courses. This is a small thing, but in a field of study as popular as engineering, does make getting all of your required coursework done just a little bit easier. This program is ideal for students who want to push themselves in their engineering coursework.

Both incoming freshmen and current students may apply to the honors program. There are no hard eligibility requirements, but a high GPA is expected. The application for incoming freshmen is open November 3 to January 15, and may be completed fully . 

Once you are in the engineering honors program, you must meet certain requirements to maintain your status. These vary by , but generally involve maintaining a certain GPA (generally 3.5 or above), attending honors events during the year, and participating in honors coursework. They want to be sure that students in the program are actively partaking in the program. 

Business honors is a specific major within Mays Business School. Like, the primary benefit of this is the advanced coursework provided to honors students, which generally features smaller class sizes and more access to professors. Honors classes are taught at a slightly higher level as well. Like the engineering honors program, business honors does not provide specific honors housing to its students. 

While business honors is itself a major, most students in the program choose to take on an additional major within Mays; the program is designed to facilitate exactly this. In addition to coursework, the business honors program has a significant focus on networking and career placement opportunities, over and above those already hosted by Mays. 

The program admits 100 students each year; these cohorts generally form a close-knit group within the larger business school, and are supported by a range of specific advisors and program supports. Applications to the program are competitive, though both incoming freshmen and current students are eligible to apply. 

The program does have strict academic eligibility requirements, namely that you must be in the top 25% of your high school class. They do note that academic standards are simply there as a benchmark; they are something you must surpass, but students aren’t admitted to the program on the basis of academic excellence alone. In order to apply, you must select Business Administration as your first choice major, and select YES on the honors program application question. You will then be invited to apply once your A&M application is processed.

Your base Common App and Texas A&M supplementals are available to the Business Honors admissions team. In addition they recommend (but do not require) submitting standardized test scores and a letter of recommendation from an academic source. This application is reviewed and processed separately from your admission to A&M and the business program as a whole. 

Departmental Honors Programs at Texas A&M

In addition to the university-wide and college-wide programs, some academic departments have their own honors programs as well, solely open to students in those departments. What these offer specifically varies, but it tends to be increased resources, access to professors, and networking opportunities, along with recognition at graduation. We won’t go through each of these in detail, but here’s an overview of them: 

Note that none of the departmental honors programs allow you to live in honors housing, though many students who are in the honors college also pursue departmental honors; indeed, this is highly encouraged. 

Are Texas A&M Honors a Good Option for You?

Honors colleges can offer a lot of benefits to college students, and A&M is no exception. We will note, however, that one of the primary benefits offered by many schools isn’t offered here, as there are no honors-specific scholarships. While many honors students do also earn merit scholarships, there are no specific funding options for honors students. 

So what does Texas A&M honors offer? Each program has its own unique suite of options, but they all have some commonalities; we’ll go through each of them, and how they may or may not benefit you. 

Honors Classes

This is the big appeal of honors programs, and the main thing mentioned. These courses are smaller, offered at a higher level, and tend to take a more in-depth approach to content. These do give you better access to professors, and can help you better master content. On the other hand, taking honors courses or graduating with honors alone doesn’t necessarily lead to better career outcomes. These courses do tend to be more demanding in terms of the work required, and can make maintaining a high GPA difficult. These courses can be a great resource, but there are tradeoffs when taking them. College isn’t high school, and honors courses are neither expected or required. 

Research Opportunities

Texas A&M is a big school, with a lot of students. While there are plenty of professors doing research, there are far more students who want to be involved than there are spots. While all students who want research can generally find something, students in honors programs get to build closer relationships with professors, and have set pathways to participate in research. 

If you are interested in pursuing research, especially with an eye towards graduate school or medical school, then honors programs are an excellent way to do this. In addition to increased research opportunities, these programs often let you build much closer relationships with professors, which helps greatly when getting letters of recommendation.

Networking

How much of a focus networking has varies a great deal by program; it is most prominent in business, but is offered in all of them. Again, networking and recruiting events are something offered and open to all students at A&M, but honors programs offer unique opportunities that aren’t open to all students. 

Many companies do like recruiting students from honors programs specifically. There is a sense that these students are more motivated, and more likely to succeed at a high level. In many ways, this is akin to how students from more prestigious universities are viewed, which is part of what honors programs are trying to emulate. It is unclear how advantageous these extra opportunities are, but finding a career is always easier with more networking opportunities. 

Honors Housing

This is one of the smaller benefits provided by the honors program, and is indeed only available through the campus-wide honors program, rather than the college or departmental offerings. The honors dorm is nice, and being in a community of similarly high-achieving scholars can be beneficial, both socially and from a networking perspective. 

This is more of a minor perk however, and you don’t lose very much if you choose not to live in honors housing. While this is worth considering, it should not be the deciding factor on whether you want to take part in the honors program. 

The Honors Community

This is the most nebulous benefit of taking part in honors programs, the community they afford you access to. College is a time to make new friends and meet new people, through your dorm, classes, clubs, campus activities, or even happenstance. The honors program at Texas A&M proposes that you will become part of a broader community through participation in it. 

This is often the case, and you can make excellent friendships through an honors program. This is quite good for students who need peer motivation in their school work, or who work best in groups. Being constantly surrounded by and hanging out with smart and motivated people can rub off on you, and give you the motivation to go farther and do more than you would on your own. This may be one of the best benefits of joining an honors program, and if this kind of community would materially help you, we highly recommend it. 

Final Thoughts

Texas A&M is a great college, one many students from Texas attend and enjoy. Like all large colleges, it has a lot of programs and options for students, enough to feel somewhat overwhelming to grasp or explore. We hope that this article gave you a good sense of one such program, and what it can offer to prospective students interested in a higher level of academic achievement and commitment. 

Applying to honors programs can be quite competitive, intentionally of course, a means to winnow the field of candidates to only those best able to make use of the resources the program provides. If you are looking for advice on your own honors applications for Texas A&M, or want help finding the right program to match your needs and interests, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how our mentors can make your college applications journey an easier and more enjoyable experience; we’re always happy to hear from you. 

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The BS/MD Application Process and Deadlines

BS/MD deadlines are so odd because of how BS/MD programs are implemented. We’re going to go through the most common implementations, and then explain how each impacts deadlines.

The first is that the program is a special program within the college that you apply to directly. This is rare, but allows you to apply to the program directly through the Common App, and results in a single application deadline, as you apply to both the college as a whole and the BS/MD program at a single point.

The second kind of program has the BS/MD track as part of or aligned with an honors college, and has you apply to it after your application to the school as a whole is processed. Thus you first apply to the college via Common App, and then gain access to the BS/MD application. Some of these colleges require you to be admitted before you gain access to the BS/MD application, which can add a few weeks to the timeline, depending on their admissions processes. 

The third kind of program requires you to apply to and be admitted to both the school as a whole, and the honors college, before you can then apply to the BS/MD program. This is rare, but some programs do require this, as the BS/MD track is a competitive pool within the broader honors college. This is the most challenging arrangement to deal with, as it leaves you with three separate deadlines for three separate applications. 

Finally, when you are offered an interview depends on the program as well, and is often entirely separate from any other deadlines. These can be offered at any point between November and March. If that sounds like there’s a complete lack of consistency between schools, you’d be right, but therein lies the fun of it, or something. 

When BS/MD Deadlines Are

Now that we’ve covered the various kinds of BS/MD deadline structures, we’re going to tell you when they are. Note that these can change year-to-year or at a program’s discretion, and you should always check a program’s website for the most up-to-date details on when applications are due. 

How You Should Approach BS/MD Deadlines

Looking over this table, a few things stand out, namely the truly wide array of approaches universities take to handling the admissions timeline for BS/MD programs. There’s nothing even close to consistency, and some seem to have made it unnecessarily complicated on purpose. 

Admissions officers aren’t going out of their way to confuse you, but colleges do not coordinate on these programs, with each acting in accordance to their own needs when it comes to evaluating students. The confusing patchwork that results can feel overwhelming, so we’re going to give you a proper roadmap to applying to BS/MD programs in such a way that you’re well ahead of the deadlines. 

Step One: Organizing and Planning

With all of our students, the first step to applying to colleges is determining where exactly they’re applying to. This is especially true for students interested in BS/MD programs; these have more moving parts to keep track of, and so the plans are even more important. 

Begin making your own application plan in the spring of your junior year. When we work with students, we create charts of all the schools they are applying to, each essay those schools ask for (on both the regular and BS/MD application), and the due dates for each part of the application. Just getting all of this written down in the same place helps keep plans and timelines on track. 

Step Two: Starting Early

We work with students whenever they come to us, but to give our BS/MD applicants the best chance, we begin working with them on their essays and applications in the spring and summer before their senior year. This is best practice for all applicants, but is especially helpful for students applying to these programs. 

BS/MD programs require more essays than standard college applications. Some only ask for one additional essay, some for up to three, but that’s always on top of the other essays the program requires, and possibly even more essays if they’re part of an honors college you need to apply to as well. We work hard to make the essay writing process as efficient and painless as possible, but more essays to write and edit means more time spent on the writing process. To do it well, that means starting early. 

Step Three: Applying Early

While there is a lot of variability in deadlines for BS/MD programs, they mostly range from November to December. These apps, especially for the base college application, generally open in August however. You don’t have to get your application submitted in August, but especially for the programs that require you to complete the college application before the program-specific application, getting that first application in early is ideal. 

We generally aim to begin submitting applications with our BS/MD students in September or October. The first round are the applications to the colleges which require an application be processed before letting you apply to the program itself. Starting early doesn’t mean ending early unfortunately, but it does mean that you won’t be overwhelmed over the course of the application cycle by all of your essays coming due the same week.

Final Thoughts

Applying to BS/MD programs is a lot of work, but that’s by design. These programs are an incredible commitment of time and effort, and the first bar to making sure you’re capable of dealing with that is by making the applications themselves difficult. While the shifting deadlines between programs aren’t necessarily part of this, you should be able to track and manage deadlines to succeed in a career in medicine. 

If you are looking for help managing all of this, or building the time management and scheduling skills you’ll need to succeed in college applications and beyond, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our mentors are skilled at helping students wrangle complicated admissions processes, and at helping them build these skills for themselves. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you. 

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This leads to an obvious question for budding young athletes: whether or not partaking in sports camps or other athletic activities during the summer is a good use of their time, and how this can impact their college admissions. The answer is: it depends. Since that’s fully unsatisfying, we’re going to spend this article exploring the nuance of summer sports programs, and whether they may be a good use of your time. Let’s play ball!

The Variety of Summer Sports Programs

Before we can begin looking at whether or not these programs are any good for you, we need to identify what the different kinds of summer sports programs are. We won’t go through every option, but we will give examples for different kinds of programs where applicable. 

Local Sports Leagues

These are some of the most common, and take on different forms in different towns across the country. Private clubs for golf, travel teams for baseball or softball, fencing gyms; these are organized sports with coaches and competitions much like you’d find at school, though often with more intensive schedules and programs during the summer. 

What these offer, the intensity of their programs, and how much or little each may benefit you will vary widely between them. Here are the steps we use to help students and parents evaluate the general utility of these programs: 

• What is the time commitment required, and what do you get out of it in return?
• Are their opportunities for competition, or is this just a chance to build skills/train?
• How many students who attend this program are recruited on average, and where are they recruited by?
• What connections, if any, does this program have to the college recruitment pipeline?

College Sport Camps

Colleges which have sports teams generally have summer camps for them. This ranges from schools like (which at one point dissolved its football team and built a library over the stadium) to (which actually does care about its athletics program). Any school with sports teams, from DI to DIII will have some form of these camps, though their mechanics and what sports they are offered for varies. 

These camps are a major recruiting resource for these schools, but students who are not being actively recruited can attend as well to show off for coaches and to try and get on their radar. These can be a good use of time if you are looking seriously into college recruiting. 

Private Sport Camps

Finally, there are private sport camps, which generally exist as a place for athletes to hone their skills, but which sometimes can offer recruiting or competition options. These often cost the most of all three options by far, and tend to make the largest claims about successes. While these camps can be beneficial in some circumstances, most of the time, we find their claims far outstrip their promised benefits. We advise using the same questions we posed for local sports leagues to evaluate these opportunities. 

Summer Sports and College Recruitment

Participating in sports over the summer can directly and indirectly increase your odds of recruitment, but it is not guaranteed to do so, nor are you guaranteed to be recruited by somewhere you want to attend college. That said, if you know there are already colleges interested in recruiting you, and you are interested in pursuing sports at the collegiate level, then we do recommend using summer opportunities to aid in your recruitment efforts. 

The first thing to do is to attend college camps at schools you are interested in. Academic camps at a university generally don’t impact your odds of acceptance at all, but athletic camps can. This is because college coaches often have pull (albeit limited in some cases) with the admissions office, and if they want to recruit you, you are much more likely to get in. 

If you are actively being courted or recruited by a college, they will invite you to a camp, but you can also sign up for camps at colleges which have not recruited you but which you are interested in. These camps are often quite short, UCLA’s are generally only two days long; University of Alabama’s for prospects is similarly two days, and Harvard’s all last one to two days. 

Some schools have longer programs, but these camps are not intended to give you a major workout or to hone your technique. They’re a place for you to be introduced to a school and coaches, and for them to meet and evaluate you in turn, to see if you might be a good fit for their program. 

Indirect Sports Recruiting Benefits

College programs can directly benefit recruiting efforts by letting you speak with and show off for college coaches, but other sports programs can benefit recruiting indirectly by letting you hone specific skills or compete in arenas watched by coaches. This is the case of local sports leagues or costlier sports camps, which fill much more of the summer.

These opportunities have much more of a tradeoff cost however, as they fill much more of your time, take more of your money, and are likely to interfere with other activities. If you are already being recruited by some schools, but are aiming for higher tier programs and know what you need to hone to take your skills to that level, then these may be a good use of time. For many students, however, there are far more beneficial ways to spend your summer hours.

Should You Take Part in Summer Sports?

Whether or not you are a recruited athlete, sports can be a component of what you spend your summer doing. For some school sports, this is required, with training camps in August or voluntary (mandatory) workouts held throughout the summer. For others, especially sports you take part in outside of school, workouts and competitions may not even see a break over the summer.

These demands can make participating in other summer programs difficult, especially those with extended durations, the multi-week research experiences or full-time internships that let you deeply explore an academic interest. You may be able to do both with some careful schedule juggling, but this is far from guaranteed. As with so many things in college admissions, you must decide where your priorities lie. 

Showing a strong devotion to sports can be part of your admissions profile even if you aren’t a recruited athlete. In these cases, however, it is weighed the same as any other extracurricular, and doesn’t give any particular admissions boost. Thus, the most strategically beneficial thing depends on where you are as an athlete and a scholar: 

• Students who are already getting recruiting interest from coaches will benefit from continuing to hone their skills, though can always benefit from academic summer programs as well.
• Students on the cusp of recruitment can benefit from improving their skills if they only need a small push to get them to the next level.
• Students who are unlikely to get recruited are going to receive more benefit from academic summer programs, or those related to their intended major. 

This is an article, and we cannot tell you in set text what your own odds of recruitment are. That said, students who are top recruits don’t need to ask generally; the coaches find them. 

We aren’t trying to say that sports summer programs are worthless, but that when deciding whether or not to attend, you must weigh the opportunity cost as well as any actual costs of these programs. Summers do offer students a wonderful amount of free time, but each day only has so many hours. 

Our final suggestion is that students interested in recruiting, but who aren’t sure, should take the most advantage of the shorter sports camps offered by universities, especially those they are interested in attending. This is their best option to connect with coaches, and to see what the level of competition is, what other students are interested and drawing interest. Students who are not yet officially being recruited, sophomores especially, can benefit from this. 

Final Thoughts

Sports have a long history at high schools and colleges, and are one of the most popular extracurriculars for students across the country. This same popularity breeds an intense level of competition; even with how many college athletes there are, very few high school students who dedicate themselves to sports continue their passions in college.

We hope that this article has shown how summer programs can help you in these endeavors, and how they may have a high opportunity cost as well. There is no single correct approach, and what the best choice for you is depends on your own circumstances and goals. If you are looking for advice on your particular situation, or want help navigating the admissions or recruiting landscape, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our mentors are skilled at every aspect of college admissions, and we’ve helped plenty of budding athletes continue to compete in college; schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can help you. 

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In this article, we’re specifically going to look at some hot topics in economics, five fields (and their related subfields) where a lot of exciting new work is being done. These aren’t the only fields you can publish in, far from it. We want this to serve as an introduction, to let you sample what’s on offer, and what you might want to explore further. 

1. Artificial Intelligence and Labor Markets 

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation is transforming labor markets and production  processes. Economists study how new technologies affect employment, wages, productivity, and  the distribution of economic gains across workers. Technological change has historically generated both job losses and new occupations. Current research examines whether AI represents a  continuation of this pattern or a more disruptive technological shift. 

1.1. Automation and Job Displacement 

Automation occurs when machines or software replace tasks previously performed by workers. Economists study which occupations are most vulnerable to automation and how technological  change affects employment across industries. There is evidence that automation tends to affect routine and middle-skill occupations, such as manufacturing or administrative work. However, recent developments in AI may increasingly affect higher-skill jobs that involve data  analysis or pattern recognition. 

1.2. Skill-Biased Technological Change 

Another important research area examines how technological progress affects wage inequality.  Economists refer to this as skill-biased technological change, meaning that technological progress increases demand for highly skilled workers relative to low-skill workers. AI tools often  complement highly educated workers such as engineers, analysts, and researchers. As a result,  wage gaps between workers with different skill levels may widen. 

1.3. Productivity and Firm-Level AI Adoption 

Researchers also study whether firms that adopt AI technologies experience productivity  improvements. Economists use firm-level data to analyze changes in hiring, output, and innovation  following AI adoption. Productivity gains often vary across firms depending on management  practices, data availability, and workforce skills. 

Possible research question: 

• Does AI adoption increase firm productivity more in technology-intensive industries?  
• Which occupations face the highest automation risk? 
• Does AI adoption increase wage dispersion within firms? 

2. Industrial Policy and Geopolitical Tensions 

Industrial policy has re-emerged as an important area of economic research due to rising  geopolitical tensions and disruptions in global supply chains. Industrial policy refers to  government efforts to promote specific industries through subsidies, regulation, or strategic  investments. Recent geopolitical competition, particularly between major economic powers, has  increased interest in strengthening domestic production in key industries such as semiconductors,  artificial intelligence, and clean energy. 

2.1. Strategic Industry Support 

Governments often support industries considered essential for national security or economic  competitiveness. Examples include semiconductor manufacturing, defense technologies, and  advanced computing. Economists study whether these policies increase innovation and  productivity or distort market competition. 

2.2. Supply Chain Resilience 

Recent global events including pandemics and geopolitical conflicts have exposed vulnerabilities  in global supply chains. Economists analyze how firms diversify suppliers and how governments  encourage domestic production. Policies aimed at supply chain resilience attempt to reduce  dependence on single suppliers or politically sensitive regions. 

2.3. Trade Restrictions and Technological Competition 

Governments increasingly use tariffs, export controls, and investment restrictions to protect  strategic industries and limit technology transfers. Economists analyze how these policies affect international trade and innovation. Geopolitical tensions also have led to restrictions on advanced  technologies such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence components. 

Possible research question: 

• Do subsidies for semiconductor production increase domestic technological capacity? 
• How do geopolitical tensions such as wars affect global supply chain structures? 
• How do export controls affect global innovation and technological diffusion? 

3. Behavioral Economics and Financial Markets 

Behavioral economics integrates insights from psychology into economic analysis. Traditional economic models assume individuals behave rationally and make optimal decisions. Behavioral  research demonstrates that real-world decisions are often influenced by cognitive biases and  emotional responses. In financial markets, these behavioral biases can influence investor behavior  and lead to deviations from traditional models of market efficiency. 

3.1. Investor Overconfidence 

Investors often overestimate their ability to predict financial market movements. Overconfidence can lead to excessive trading and increased volatility in financial markets. Behavioral finance research shows that overconfident investors may underestimate risks and react too strongly to new information. 

3.2. Herd Behavior 

Herd behavior occurs when investors imitate the actions of others rather than relying on  independent information. This behavior can amplify market movements and contribute to speculative bubbles. Financial markets often exhibit herd behavior during periods of uncertainty or rapid price changes. 

3.3. Market Sentiment and Asset Price Bubbles 

Investor sentiment can influence financial markets even when underlying economic fundamentals  remain unchanged. Behavioral economists study how optimism or pessimism among investors can  drive asset prices away from their fundamental values. These dynamics can contribute to financial  bubbles and market crashes. 

Possible research question: 

• How does investor sentiment contribute to asset price bubbles? 
• Do retail investors exhibit stronger behavioral biases than institutional investors? 
• How does news sentiment affect short-term stock market volatility?

4. Climate Economics and Environmental Policy 

Climate change is one of the most important challenges facing modern economies. Economists analyze both the economic costs of environmental damage and the effectiveness of policies aimed  at reducing emissions. Environmental economics focuses on designing policies that balance  environmental sustainability with economic efficiency. 

4.1. Carbon Pricing Policies 

Carbon pricing policies place a cost on greenhouse gas emissions to encourage firms to reduce  pollution. Two common approaches are carbon taxes and emissions trading systems. These policies  create economic incentives for firms to adopt cleaner technologies. 

4.2. Climate Risk and Financial Markets 

Climate change introduces new risks to financial and insurance markets. These risks include  extreme weather events, financial stability, and shifts in energy demand. Economists study whether financial markets incorporate climate risks into asset prices. 

4.3. Green Innovation and Renewable Energy 

Government policies often encourage innovation in renewable energy technologies such as solar  and wind power. Lower costs of renewable energy technologies have been partly driven by policy  incentives and technological innovation. Economists study whether subsidies, research funding,  and regulations accelerate technological progress. 

Possible research question: 

• How do carbon markets affect emissions reductions across industries? 
• Do firms with high carbon emissions face higher borrowing costs? 
• How do government subsidies affect renewable energy adoption? 

5. Inequality and Wealth Distribution 

Income and wealth inequality have become central topics in modern economic research. Rising  inequality has implications for economic growth, political stability, and social mobility. Economists study how labor markets, education systems, taxation policies, and financial markets  influence the distribution of income and wealth. 

5.1. Income Inequality 

Income inequality refers to differences in wages and earnings across individuals and households.  Researchers analyze how globalization, technological change, and labor market institutions affect  wage distributions.

5.2. Wealth Inequality 

Wealth inequality focuses on the distribution of assets such as stocks, real estate, and business  ownership. Because wealth accumulates over time, it tends to be more concentrated than income. 

5.3. Intergenerational Mobility 

Intergenerational mobility research examines whether individuals can improve their economic  status relative to their parents. Economists analyze how education, geography, and labor market  opportunities influence economic mobility. 

Possible research question: 

• Does access to higher education reduce income inequality? 
• How does stock market participation affect wealth inequality? 
• How do regional labor market conditions affect wage inequality?

Final Thoughts

We have only scratched the surface in terms of what’s possible in economics in this article, but we hope you’ve gained some idea of the kinds of questions economists ask and try to answer when undertaking their research. Like all academic fields, there are vast reams of knowledge waiting to be uncovered, just waiting for some curious scholar to ask the right questions.

If you want help asking those questions, or undertaking your own research projects (in economics or otherwise), then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our research mentors are masters of their fields, all with a depth of scholarship and mentorship experience. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you begin exploring the wide seas of wisdom.

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These are all reasonable questions, but aren’t always simple to answer. In this article, we’re going to look at why colleges are filling your mailbox (and inbox), what they want from it, and what you should do when you get these letters. Everything colleges do is for a reason, even if the logic can be a bit opaque and twisty at times. Let’s jump right in!

Why Colleges Send You Junk Mail

Colleges want students to apply to them, even ones with low acceptance rates (often especially ones with low acceptance rates). When building a class of students, colleges want to have options, to be able to pick and choose from among the best and brightest students available. The more students who apply, the more they are able to do this, to have a range of options for their school.

Now, top schools have this already; indeed, most top universities have far too many bright and capable students applying to admit even a small fraction of them. They, instead, are playing a numbers game. Having a low acceptance rate is a point of pride and prestige in itself, and so elite colleges send out ads to entice students to apply who may or may not ever get admitted, but who will make the numbers just that little bit better. 

Thus colleges are sending you mail for two different internal reasons, but with the same end goal: to get you to apply to their school. This often works well; a student getting a letter from Harvard or Yale, even one who knows they don’t have a great chance, is often swayed to apply; after all, why would they send a letter to them if the school thought they had no chance?

It can also work out for less popular schools. While they are far from having a perfect hit rate, they do draw in many new applicants this way. That’s why they do it, seeking to find students who otherwise wouldn’t have heard of or considered their school, and enticing them to apply. 

Why ³Û´Ç³Ü’r±ð Getting This Mail from Colleges

So why are these colleges sending this to you specifically? The reasons are their own, but we can tell you how the process works generally. It begins with standardized tests; the SAT, ACT, and AP exams. These record not just your results, but also demographic information; who you are, what school you attend, and various traits about you. 

This data is then apportioned and sold to colleges, who can buy it in batches targeting certain demographics. Say, for instance, a college wants to increase their applications from region or demographic; they can get all students matching those requirements who scored above a certain threshold on these tests, and send them some mail to see if they’re interested. 

Students who score higher on these tests tend to get more letters, though this is not a strictly linear increase or relationship. Where each college sets its score benchmark depends on their desires. Note that just because a college sends you a letter doesn’t mean they are interested in you specifically, rather that you fit into a demographic that they find promising. 

This holds true for both physical and digital missives, though different colleges have different approaches to snail mail and email. Both serve the same purpose, but one is a much higher investment than the other. This doesn’t mean a college who sends you a physical letter is more serious than one who sends you an email, just that they have invested more into this endeavor. 

What Should You Do When Colleges Send You Letters?

So that’s why you’re getting all of these letters, but now we turn to the lasting question of what you’re supposed to do once you’ve gotten them. There are several approaches you can take, and what you do depends on your interest in the school in question, and the state of your college list. In general, here is how we advise students deal with the letters they get. 

Step One: Sort the Letters

The first thing to do to figure out if a letter means anything useful is to read it. Now, you don’t have to read every letter colleges send you; you’re going to get a lot of junk, and reading it all is a waste of time, but you should get a sense of who it’s from, and what it’s saying. 

Colleges you are absolutely uninterested in for firm reasons should get tossed. Colleges you’ve never heard of can get put into a pile for brief perusal. Colleges you are interested in or actively applying to should be read, at least in part. They may or may not contain anything truly useful, but it’s worth checking.

Step Two: Reading the Letters

For the schools you haven’t heard of, we advise skimming the letters, but pausing and reading in more detail if something catches your eye. Many schools offer scholarships, special programs, or other opportunities in these letters. They are trying to sell themselves to you, to highlight their best points, but it’s still worth seeing what’s on offer. 

You do not need to apply to or consider a school just because they sent you a letter, but especially for smaller regional schools, this is still a good way to find universities you may be interested in learning more about. Indeed, a solid portion of my own college list when I applied was schools that sent me interesting mail. That wasn’t enough on its own of course, but what I saw made further investigations worth pursuing. 

For the schools you have heard of and are interested in, you should see if there’s anything noteworthy or worth following up on in the letters. There may not be (though sometimes they do send swag in the envelopes), but it’s worth checking. This is especially true for emails. Schools can track who opens their emails,a nd whether or not you follow the links in them; doing so is a great way to demonstrate your interest in a particular school.

Step Three: Taking Action

If what you saw from a school you hadn’t heard of did interest you, then this is your cue to do more research. A letter is a taster, an appetizer, but often doesn’t tell you much about what a school really offers, and whether it’s going to be a proper fit for you. We advise following up and doing more research to see if the reality matches the sales pitch they led with. 

In some cases, you will be disappointed. In others, however, you may find a new school to add to your college list, someplace with offerings that match your needs; be they academic, financial, or otherwise. In these cases, we recommend following up with the school and reaching out. These schools too track demonstrated interest in many cases, and that can add substantially to your chances of getting in. 

What ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø Emails From Colleges?

While colleges do still send letters through the post, many many more send out massive batches of emails, easier and cheaper to disseminate en masse. You should follow a similar approach and sorting process as you take with letters. If you are fully uninterested in a college, we advise unsubscribing from their mailing list; otherwise the letters will just keep coming. 

You do not need to open every email, but for schools you are really interested in, it can be worth checking them semi-regularly. Schools want to admit students who want to be there, and demonstrating this interest early is the best way to do so. Not all schools actively track demonstrated interest, but they will still check who reads their emails, and who follows the links sent out in them. 

As a final note, if you are curious about a college and aren’t hearing anything from them, you can always ask. Schools have mailing lists you can ask to join, and attending one or inquiring about an information session is a great way to get on a school’s radar and let them know you’re interested.

Final Thoughts

We aren’t going to go so far as to say that junk mail from colleges is a good thing. Much of the time it is a massive waste of time and paper. In some cases, however, it can be quite useful, a way to learn about new colleges or to indicate to ones you may be considering that you are indeed interested. We hope this article has given you new perspectives on this mail, and how you should handle it in the future. 

If you want to take a more rigorous approach to building your college list than simply answering junk mail and going off of vibes, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our mentors have a deep experience with college programs, and are well suited to help you find the ones which best match your needs and interests. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more; we’re always happy to hear from you.

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A Brief Note on Internship Locations

Banking internships are generally in person, and take place at physical branches of these banks. Now, where these are located varies, but it is generally going to be easier for students living in cities to have access to at least one of these internships. This is not universally true; not every city has every bank or internship on offer, but cities as a whole offer more of these than more rural areas.

Because these internships are in-person and do not provide housing, you may find your ability to participate limited by geography. Many of these internships will only accept students who are local, or those who can demonstrate that they will have a place to stay during the summer and can positively commit to the entire period of the internship, taking responsibility for their presence and performance.

If you are located in an area without these internships, and do not have the ability to travel, then you may need to look into alternate ways to spend your summer. We have some great articles on that as well. Note that while these internships are great opportunities, they are not required to get a career in finance. They are a great addition, not a pre-requisite.

Fidelity Summer Internships for Students

Fidelity offers a selection of for students. While many of these are aimed primarily at students who are already in college, some are intended specifically for high school students. Notable among these is their program. This offers internship and shadowing opportunities specifically to female high school students.

These are summer internships, and last up to five weeks. Note that these are location dependent, and are hosted by Fidelity branches across the country; you are in charge of your own housing and transportation during these programs. Internships can last for up to five weeks, though some of these are shorter programs. The goal is to give students a sample of what a career at Fidelity is like, and to increase access to and interest in the field of finance. 

There are not currently high school internships widely available at Fidelity, but we do recommend students who are eligible take advantage of these offerings. While the high school programs are not as in-depth as what college students experience, they are still a great introduction to the field of finance.

CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen, never actually called all that, and the no spaces is intentional) offers a summer internship program specifically for high school students, designed to give them hands-on experience with accountancy, and to inspire them to pursue accounting careers in the future. As one of the largest global accounting firms, they are well positioned to do this.

These internships are organized centrally, but are offered and administered by separate CLA branches, and you must apply to the specific branch you wish to intern at. Not every CLA branch offers these internships, but there are opportunities across the US. As with all of these internships, they do not provide housing; for this reason, students generally only apply to internships which are geographically close to them. 

The internship lasts for four weeks in the summer, and interns work a full shift, from 9 am to 4:30 pm. You must be at least 16 to apply, and most internships require you to be under 18; this is an ideal internship for the summer before your senior year. You must be able to commit to the full program, and you must be eligible to work in the US without requiring a visa.

KPMG High School Internship Programs

KPMG (Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler, which nobody uses (seriously, try saying that five times fast)) is one of the Big Four accounting firms. It’s technically a British multinational, but it has a major presence in the US. It is interesting as it has offered high school internships in the past, and may again, but it has currently discontinued them in the US.

In Canada, however, KPMG offers a pair of for high school students interested in finance and accountancy. The SPARK event is a short engagement, where students attend a brief lecture and workshop on careers in accounting, and get to assess what these offer, and whether this field is something that really interests them.

They have also collaborated with a number of partners in Canada to offer coursework and scholarships to students. Their primary internship through this is a six-week summer program specifically for black students in Canada with an interest in finance and accountancy. This provides both an internship experience, and a college scholarship to participating students.

1435 Capital Management Internships

Run by a smaller and more local (but no less interesting) firm, offers a summer internship to high school students interested in the fields of venture capital and finance. This is a hybrid internship based in Princeton, New Jersey; students are expected to be able to commit to both the virtual and in-person portions of the experience.

This internship is aimed at students currently in their junior or senior year of high school; you must be aged 16-18 in order to apply. Applications are processed on a rolling basis. Technically, this internship is open to US students regardless of origin, but due to its nature as a hybrid internship, is generally only suitable for students local to that area. If you live in New Jersey and have an interest in venture capital, then this is a good opportunity for you to consider. This is a paid, ten week opportunity, and you will be working full time for the duration of the internship; this is quite valuable for the length and intensity, which most internships lack.

This is a program in Chicago, and is only open to Chicago students. It is fully funded by the local business community in Chicago; students who apply are partnered with a mentor from that community, all of whom volunteer to work with the program. These are paid opportunities, and exist to give students in Chicago an entryway into the world of business, particularly (though not solely) finance. 

The application is online, and is open from February 1 to March 31. The program has strict eligibility requirements, more so than many of these internship programs. These are: 

• You must be a resident of the city of Chicago
• You must be a current sophomore or junior, and have a GPA of at least 3.0 unweighted
• You must have a family or household income of $80,000 annually or less

The application itself requires a high school transcript, a resume, an essay response, and two letters of recommendation. They are looking for students with the drive and capacity to excel if admitted into this program. You must be able to commit to the full duration of the program. 

During your internship, you will both work directly with your mentor, and attend learning experiences with other interns; workshop, seminars, and other events where you will hear from business leaders and professionals. The goal is to give students a full introduction to the business landscape in Chicago.

Boston Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve Bank in Boston runs in partnership with Boston’s Private Industry Council. This program is specifically for Boston-Area students, and begins with a summer work experience, followed by the option for a full-year internship program. Depending on student and program, these can last up to three years. 

This program is only available to students who attend public schools in Boston, and is specifically intended to increase the access of low-income students to careers in business and finance. You must be a current sophomore to apply for this program, and able to commit to the full duration of it. 

This is a paid internship program, intended to be an option for students from low income backgrounds who may otherwise need to work during the summer. Who you end up working with and what exactly you are doing depends on the corporate partner you are placed with, though all students have shared mentorship and group experiences as part of the program. This is a very good program for Boston students, and we recommend applying if you live in the area. 

Final Thoughts

Getting involved in finance and business is difficult for high school students, but difficult is not the same thing as impossible. All of these are competitive programs, and require a lot of work once you are admitted, but that’s a large part of what makes them so valuable. Colleges want students who are unafraid of hard work, and who are eager to actively pursue their goals; these programs are a great way for you to demonstrate these traits. 

If you’re having trouble finding summer programs that match your own interests, or want advice on applying to one of these rather competitive programs, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our mentors are masters of helping students find and develop their passions, and in helping them get into the best programs for them. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you.

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In this article, we’re going to explore the answers to these questions (though spoiler, there are very few actual beavers at Beaver Works). We’re going to explore what this program is, how you can get involved, and whether or not it’s a good option for you to pursue with your time this summer. Let’s jump right in!

Understanding Beaver Works Summer Institute

Beaver Works is a collection of programs at MIT, all of which are devoted to introducing promising high school students to advanced STEM topics. The most prominent of these is the (generally abbreviated to BWSI), a four week program hosted on MIT’s campus each summer. 

During this program, students take part in hands-on project based learning, using newly developed skills to tackle real world problems and challenges. Note that there are both in-person and virtual courses ; students choose their ideal course and secondary ones when applying. These courses, both in-person and virtual, are full-day affairs (with breaks for meals of course). 

Note that while some of these courses are only offered in-person, BWSI is not a residential program. Students taking part in these in-person courses are responsible for finding their own housing, and parents are required to supervise them during this month when they are not on campus. There is a fee of $2,350 to take part in BWSI. This fee is waived for families earning less than $150,000 annually. Proof of income is required in these cases. 

The courses cover various fields in STEM, though many have computer science, engineering, or robotics components. You will be asked to list three preferences when applying (more on how that works in the next section), but you are not guaranteed to get your first choice course. 

Applying to Beaver Works Summer Institute 

BWSI has one of the most convoluted application processes we’ve encountered, and that’s saying something. It isn’t necessarily more difficult or competitive than other applications, but there are many moving parts, and it’s easy to get confused. We’ll break down how it works in detail to help you understand it. 

All applications for BWSI begin and are done . Here is a timeline for how the process works: 

1. Students register for online courses. Note that these are not the online summer courses offered by BWSI, but are self-paced online prerequisite courses designed to both give the students the skills they need to manage BWSI, and to help select which students will be admitted to the program.
   1. Note that students can self-register for these online courses, or may be nominated by a teacher.
2. As part of the online course’s prerequisite program, students must take an individual benchmark exam (which measures their progress and learning in the course) to be eligible for summer.
3. Those students who are eligible then are sent the application link for BWSI, and must complete that application.
4. All students who enroll in BWSI must complete the online course prior to the start of the summer program. 

It is possible to complete the prerequisite online courses without enrolling in the full BWSI. This can be a valuable learning experience even if you don’t qualify for Beaver Works as a whole, and it is worth considering registering for these courses if you have a strong interest in STEM.

Note that students not in the US may enroll in these online prerequisite courses, but only students residing and attending high school in the US may take part in the full summer institute. Homeschooled students within the US are allowed to participate fully in both programs. 

Registration for the initial online summer courses opens in December. Registration and login information for these is sent out in mid-January.

The Beaver Works Prerequisite Course

The prerequisite courses are one of the most important parts of the Beaver Works application, which is something that surprises many students, or catches them off guard. These are serious courses, and require a significant investment of both time and effort to complete. Moreover, your actual performance in them matters. You don’t need to master every topic, but you do need to be seen trying, putting forth your best effort into what’s asked of you. 

These courses are online and asynchronous, and can be done at more or less your own pace. We say more or less because you need to have completed half of the course’s modules done by a certain point in time to be considered for your application; how much must be done and when depends on the course, but usually this first milestone must be reached by the end of March. 

Courses have various modules; lectures and readings on a specific topic, mirroring the format of a university course (which is what it is intended to be). There are discussion sections as part of these, where you must put in your own response to the material, and respond to that of another student. Instructors are specifically looking for you to go beyond summarizing the content of the reading or lecture, but to bring in original ideas, thoughts, or conclusions based on what you have learned. 

These courses are a lot of work, and presented at a collegiate level. In total, you can expect one of these courses to require fifty hours of work, for watching the lectures, doing the readings, and composing your responses. There aren’t any tests or quizzes like an ordinary course, but the work you do still matters. It prepares you for what you’re going to learn during the summer, and lets the teacher of the course evaluate if you are fully prepared. This is their initial evaluation, before even what is asked on the application itself. 

The Beaver Works Application

The Beaver Works application requires several specific components. First, of course, the online course we discussed above. Next is the application itself, this has standard demographic questions, three short essays, and asks for a single letter of recommendation. It is not the easiest summer program application, but it isn’t the bulkiest either (outside of the prerequisite course). 

When you apply, you are asked for your first, second, and third choices for summer courses. They recommend (and we agree) entering all three, even if one is your clear favorite. Each course has its own prerequisite course, but you are only expected to do the one for your first choice. If you instead get your second (or third), you may switch partway through; you must finish the entire online prerequisite for the course you end up being admitted to. 

The essay questions are the most important part of the application itself (though we have already discussed how important the prerequisite courses are). These essay questions change each year, but always relate in some way to your interests in STEM, and the Beaver Works program.

When answering these questions, your goal should be to highlight how you are a good fit for this program, and any prior experience you have had with these fields. You want to be very genuine in your answers, and showcase real passion for the topics at hand. MIT is known to like students who like learning and exploration for their own sakes, and this is true in their summer programs as well. 

Your letter of recommendation can come from either a teacher or a mentor who has worked with you on STEM projects in an academic setting. The letter should not come from a family member (even if they fall into one of those categories). This letter is due by April 3, and should be sent to Beaver Works directly by your recommender. We recommend asking for these well ahead of time; composing a good letter takes time. 

Is Beaver Works a Good Program for You?

This is always the question with summer programs, for they don’t exist in a vacuum. The point of any of these is to help you explore topics you are interested in that you might not find in high school, and to help you prepare for what you may be studying in college. 

To that end, Beaver Works is incredibly helpful for some students. If you are interested in STEM, especially computer science and engineering, then you can find a number of excellent programs and learning opportunities here. If instead you are interested in the social sciences or humanities, then this may not be the best program for you to pursue. 

Beaverworks is somewhat unique in terms of these programs because of its multi-part structure, and how freely accessible the prerequisite courses are. Thus students can benefit from this part of the program without ever intending or partaking in the latter part. 

Note that simply taking these Beaver Works prerequisite courses isn’t a major activity, and is not something generally worth bragging about in your college applications. Instead, this is something to do if you have a deep interest in one or more of these fields, and want a guided approach to studying and exploring it in more depth. Many of these are subjects which high schools do not regularly teach, and getting to explore collegiate level coursework in them is a great chance to see if they are something you are truly interested in. 

The program itself is a good opportunity, if not in the very top tier, and is something worth applying to if you are interested in these fields. We advise having it be an option if you are applying to other programs focused on technology, engineering, or other STEM fields; even if you end up attending another program, the coursework you take to prepare for Beaver Works will set you up well for that as well. 

Final Thoughts

There are many options for summer programs, especially for students interested in STEM, but Beaver Works offers something unique, even in this crowded field. The prerequisite courses are a lot of work, but that same work is highly beneficial for students if done with intention, even if Beaver Works may not be the perfect summer program for your goals. We hope that this article helped you understand what this program offers, and whether taking part is a good way to spend your summer. 

If you are trying to find exactly the right summer program to match your interests, or want help managing the coursework required to apply to Beaver Works, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our mentors are masters of helping students apply to summer programs, and teaching you the techniques you need to manage your time well. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can make your summer program applications easier, we’re always happy to hear from you.

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