If you’re a high school student in Boston looking for summer programs, you have quite a few to pick from. There are several fields, including computer science, engineering, medicine, history, and more, in formats ranging from academic immersions and research programs to paid internships.
Summer programs allow you to dive into a specific field — often involving university-level coursework — and will enable you to upgrade your knowledge. You also gain hands-on skills in research and laboratories, which could be handy in the future. Note that the following information is based on the most recent program, with dates subject to change but generally similar from year to year.
Here is a list of 11 summer programs for high school students in Boston:
1. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)
Subject area: Multiple fields available
Application Date: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the Spring, Summer and Fall cohorts.
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.
Program Dates: The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks (June-September).
Location: Virtual
Horizon is a research program in which you explore a specific topic and develop a 20-page research paper under the guidance of a professor or PhD scholar. You can choose from several fields such as engineering, economics, psychology, data science etc. This program can help you explore a particular field in depth while also getting mentorship.
2. Harvard’s Data Science in Action Program
Subject: Data science
Application deadline: May 1
Eligibility: All high school students who have a basic understanding of algebra. Students from low-income backgrounds are encouraged to apply
Program dates: June 22 – July 10
Location: Harvard University, Boston, MA
Fee: Free (stipends are available for students from low-income backgrounds)
The Data Science in Action program is a two-week summer camp that teaches you about machine learning and programming through a project where you build a self-driving toy car. In the process, you will learn about coding, statistics, image classification, neural networks, and how to use a Raspberry Pi.
3. Young Founders Lab
Subject area: Entrepreneurship and business
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. You can access the application link here!
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Fee: $2900
Financial aid: Need-based financial aid is available
The Young Founders Lab is a start-up boot camp for high school students where you can build a revenue-generating start-up that solves a real-world program. Through the process, you will be mentored by professional entrepreneurs and learn about all business basics like user research, growth strategies, sales negotiations, and more. You will also attend panel discussions and workshops during the program.m.
4. Research Science Institute
Subject area: Multiple fields available
Application deadline: December 11
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA
Eligibility: Current high school juniors who meet the required test scores. International students can apply as well
Program dates: June 23 – August 3
Fee: Free
While the Research Science Institute takes place at MIT in Cambridge, we have included it on this list due to its proximity to Boston. As a participant, you will engage in research, learn how to find publications, model complex systems, conduct lab work, and make a conference-style presentation of your findings.
5. The Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) Program – Summer Only
Subject area: Biomedical research
Application deadline: February 3
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are at least 16 years old, reside/attend school in Massachusetts, and either be from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group or come from an economically disadvantaged background
Program dates: The program begins on June 18 and generally goes on for 7-11 weeks
Location: Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, MA
Stipend: A stipend is provided but no amount has been specified
Offered by the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, CURE is a summer research internship where you will learn all about biomedical research. During the program, you will be paired with a mentor alongside whom you will study and gain technical research skills by working on a cancer research project. You will also attend professional development sessions, networking opportunities, and a journal club where you will dissect scientific literature.
6. Massachusetts General Hospital’s Youth Neurology Education and Research Program
Subject area: Neurology and neuroscience
Application deadline: January 31
Eligibility: High school seniors or recent graduates living/studying in Massachusetts. Students who are female or non-binary; Black, Latinx, Native American/Alaska Native; or first-generation college students are encouraged to apply
Program dates: June 30 – August 8
Location: Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Stipend: Interns are paid but no amount has been specified
The Mass General Youth Neurology Education and Research Program offers educational and research experience within neurology and neuroscience. This commuter program consists of a boot camp involving basic clinical training followed by 1-on-1 mentorship, where you will work in a lab and contribute to research projects. In the end, you will have the chance to present your findings.
7. Northeastern University’s Young Scholars Program
Subject area: STEM
Application deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who reside in Massachusetts within commuting distance of the University
Program dates: June 23 – July 31
Location: Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Fee: Free
The YSP allows you to work in the laboratories of Northeastern University’s Colleges of Engineering, Science, and Health Sciences. You will engage in lab work within STEM fields — previous students have worked on topics like “Thermal Effects of Terahertz-Band Radiation on Heart Tissue” and “Engineering Microfluidics for Human Health Applications”. You will learn more about STEM through additional seminars and field trips to speak with practicing engineers.
8. Tufts University Biomedical Engineering Research Scholars (TUBERS)
Subject area: Biomedical Engineering
Application deadline: The application window generally opens in spring and closes in April
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old
Program dates: July 1 – August 16
Location: Tufts University, Boston, MA
Fee: Free
TUBERS offers an understanding of the research process while allowing you to study a particular topic deeply. Previous students have explored the manufacture of a 3D in vitro silk-scaffolded brain model and studied breast cancer metastasis to the liver. You will conduct lab work and learn various research techniques and experimental protocols. TUBERS is also a prestigious program with only 15-20 students being accepted from hundreds of applications.
9. Boston Leadership Institute
Subject area: Multiple options available
Application deadline: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis
Eligibility: All high school students and international students can apply as well
Program dates: Multiple options available from June 16 – August 4
Location: There are three locations: Olin College, Bentley University, and the institute’s Boston campus. The first two options are a little outside of Boston but the distance is commutable
Fee: Ranges from $699 – $4,597
Financial assistance: Very limited scholarships are available for students in need
The Boston Leadership Institute offers summer programs in science, engineering, medicine, and business. You can choose between day camps and residential tracks, as well as between 1-week and 3-week programs. Each program explores topics such as cybersecurity, clinical psychology, and marine biology. You can find more information here.
10. The Concord Review’s History Camp
Subject area: History
Application deadline: February 28
Eligibility: All high school students
Program dates: June 23 – July 4
Location: Commonwealth School, Boston, MA
Fee: $5,250
Financial assistance: Not available
The Concord Review is a prestigious social sciences journal and its history camp allows you to get training in historical research and writing. Over two weeks, you will develop a research topic of your choice into an essay while attending individual sessions with an instructor. In the process, you will learn how to formulate research questions, find sources, examine essays, explore writing strategies, and contemplate larger philosophical dilemmas.
11. Boston Architectural College’s Summer Academy
Subject area: Architecture
Application deadline: June 21
Eligibility: All high school students (international students can apply as well)
Program dates: July 1 – August 2
Location: Boston Architectural College, Boston, MA
Fee: $1,800 for the non-credit program, $2,000 for the credit-bearing program
Financial assistance: Scholarships are available
If you are interested in architecture and design, consider attending the BAC’s Summer Academy. The program has three focus areas — architecture, interior architecture, and landscape architecture. You will work in a studio-like setting and work with real-world design challenges. You will also build up a digital portfolio by the end of the program which could be useful during college applications. The program even offers 3 college credits.
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