10 Summer Programs for Middle School Students Parents Recommend
- Stephen Turban
- 4 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Summer programs are a good option for middle schoolers to learn new subjects, hone their skills, and make friends. Many parents opt for such programs to help their children get a step ahead. These programs can be academically rigorous and selective to help you with future academics and a career in the field of your choice.
Furthermore, you can interact with experienced faculty and professionals who mentor and guide you throughout the program. Thus, such programs are a way to build your profile and stand out. Here are 10 such programs that middle schoolers’ parents recommend.
10 Summer Programs for Middle School Students Parents Recommend
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Highly selective
Program dates: 8 weeks; varies by cohort
Application deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
Research can be a solid option for middle schoolers looking to expand their knowledge. Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program is a mentored research program that pairs you with PhD mentors from prestigious universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Princeton, who are experts in their fields. You gain specialized knowledge in a subject as you conduct original research. Through this program, you learn to read and interpret academic literature, build research questions, and create outputs such as a high school-level research paper or case study, which enables you to build crucial skills. Feedback and writing coaching sessions help you polish your research and develop scientific communication skills. In the Junior Research and Publication Program, you can publish your research in academic journals.
Location: New York City
Cost / Stipend: None
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Selective
Program dates: July 6 – 31
Application deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Rising 7th and 8th graders who are New York City residents
Students interested in engineering and technology can opt for SoSC. This is a selective summer program that teaches you coding and microcontroller programming. You also learn the basics of electronics, circuitry, sensors, and other hardware. On the theoretical side, you explore environmental and urban science, which you apply to the culminating group project. This project aims to solve an urban challenge to make cities safer and sustainable. At the end of the program, you present this project.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Not specified
Program dates:Spring cohort: 25 hours over 10 weeks on weekendsSummer cohort: 25 hours over 2 weeks on weekdays
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
If you are looking for an interdisciplinary program, Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers program may suit your requirements. This program helps you establish a foundation in AI and machine learning. In the classes, you encounter a range of topics like Python, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. Thereafter, you work on a practical project by applying your learnings. This project aims to solve a real-world challenge in a field of your choice using technology. In the past, students have built a machine-learning model to classify music genres and a machine-learning algorithm to provide a custom list of educational resources based on selected specifications.
Location: Online
Cost / Stipend: Fully funded
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Selective
Program dates: Summer: July 6 – 24 | Fall: August 26 – December 9
Application deadline: March 25
Eligibility: Low-income students in grades 6 or 7 who live and attend school in the United States and whose family income is under $90,000
For a challenging and selective program, you can consider participating in SMSSP. This program is held in the summer and fall. Based on your interests, you can choose from a range of available tracks, namely, Democracy & Dissent, Discovering Geometry: From Flatland to the Fourth Dimension, History through Graphic Novels, and Real-Life Applications to Mathematics. In the summer, you attend live, interactive classes taught by Stanford faculty. In the fall, participate in weekly debates and discussions on your chosen subject. In addition to academics, you receive support and counseling with applying for other prestigious programs.
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost / Stipend: None
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Competitive
Program dates: Summer session: July 6 – 31 | Academic year session: October – May
Application deadline:Summer: April 15 | Academic year: November 1
Eligibility: Students in grades 7 to 12 who plan to pursue careers in medicine or related STEM fields and who maintain at least an 80 percent average, especially in math and science
S-PREP is a free high school and college preparatory program. It is designed for students interested in medicine and other STEM careers. As part of the prep, you delve into various STEM topics like Anatomy, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Brain & Cognitive Science, Ready for PreMed, Physics, Psychology, Algebra, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus and Statistics. Beyond these classes, you receive support and guidance to prepare for standardized tests. You can also partake in college preparation and career development workshops, college & academic counseling services, field trips, and college tours.
Location: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Cost / Stipend: Fully funded
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Limited spots
Program dates: June 9 – 13
Application deadline: April 17
Eligibility: Students in grades 7 and 8
This program is for students interested in physics. Here, you study physics fundamentals in a college setting. In this selective program, besides these foundational elements, you learn about the real-world applications of physics. The schedule involves classroom lectures and lab-based activities. You also interact with faculty and research staff who explain contemporary developments in the field as well as their career trajectories. A tour of the college campus, facilities and nearby landmarks are embedded into the program. Thus, from the nano to the astro, you gain a holistic view of physics.
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost: $700
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: 24 students per grade level
Program dates: June 29 – July 9
Application deadline: First come, first served
Eligibility: Students in grades 7 and 8
This program by Stony Brook University allows you to explore various science subjects and conduct research. It complements your school curriculum and helps strengthen your scientific knowledge. 7th graders learn physics, chemistry, microbiology, and ecology in a lab environment. Similarly, 8th graders study biology, chemistry, biotechnology, and environmental chemistry through case studies and interactive demonstrations. You can expect to develop hands-on research skills in a lab environment. Your daily activities involve reading, computer searching, writing, and group work.
Location: Virtual
Cost: From $2,599
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: 6 students per cohort
Program dates: July 6 – 31
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students ages 11 to 18
Middle schoolers who want to learn about data science and AI can opt for this program. You learn Python to gain introductory exposure to learn big data. The course teaches you how to create visualizations, build machine learning models, and apply AI in the real world. Divided into lecture and cohort time, you learn new concepts and techniques during the lectures. Here, you maintain a coding notebook as you go. During cohort time, you work in small groups to complete different practical projects where you apply the theoretical concepts. You also conduct original research to solidify your learnings. By the end of the program, you will have a portfolio of work and a certificate of completion.
9. Penn GEMS
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: To be announced; limited financial aid available
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Selective
Program dates: June 22 – 26
Application deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Rising 7th to 9th graders who live and attend school within 60 miles of Penn’s campus
Middle schoolers’ parents may also consider Penn GEMS, an engineering, math, and science camp. The program aims to provide holistic learning through experiential and hands-on activities. You learn a wide range of STEM subjects, including topics such as bioengineering, robotics, AI, materials science, and more. Penn students and faculty lead the camp and act as mentors to provide guidance regarding academic and career paths. As a result of the practical activities and group work, you can expect to develop collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
Location: University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Cost: $1,550; financial aid available
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Selective
Program dates:Session 2: June 22 – 26Session 3: July 6 – 10
Application deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students entering grades 7 to 9
Several STEM programs are available at The Lawrence Hall of Science. In the Animal Behavior and Investigations track, you examine why animals behave a certain way by studying biology and psychology. You learn how researchers conduct research by observing, describing, and analyzing animal actions in the natural habitat as well as in controlled environments. After gaining this understanding, you design and conduct your own animal observation study, which you present at the end of the program. Furthermore, as part of this program, you tour the lab facilities, interact with peers, and network with STEM professionals.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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