High school is the perfect time to explore your interest in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, popularly abbreviated as STEAM. Not only are there a lot of opportunities available, but engaging in a STEAM-focused pre-college program can significantly enhance your college application while also helping you build your fundamental knowledge. 

Such programs deepen your understanding in these fields and showcase your dedication and passion for learning beyond the high school curriculum. While there’s no shortage of programs available, from short two-day certifications to multiple month-long research programs, this blog focuses on the STEAM pre-college programs offered by Harvard University.

About Harvard's Pre-College Program

Harvard's Pre-College Program is an intensive, immersive two-week residential experience designed for high school students to explore academic passions and college life at Harvard. With a wide array of courses, from creative writing to computer science, this program is a great opportunity to delve into specific subjects or discover new interests. Classes are small, with an average size of 15, ensuring personalized attention and an environment conducive to interactive learning and healthy debate. Besides rigorous academics, you can enjoy a range of co-curricular activities, fostering a balanced and enriching college-life experience.

How is it structured?

Harvard's Pre-College Program offers almost 30 courses across the STEAM fields and another 60 from many others. You can choose only one course for the program, since they are non-credit but are still quite challenging and require a lot of dedication and effort. You can expect to be putting in 2 to 4 hours of homework daily in addition to the lectures themselves, and at the conclusion of the course you will receive a written evaluation from Harvard indicating whether or not you completed the requirements of the course. The options available are as follows:

1. Speech, Writing and Literature - numerous courses across the fields of creative writing, expository writing, journalism, and speech.

2. Psychology, Medicine, and Public Health - If you’re interested in fields like anthropology, biology, the history of science, psychology and the social sciences.

3. Law, Politics, Philosophy, and History - Everything from legal studies, to history, the intricacies of government and various schools of philosophy.

4. Business and Leadership - An array of courses covering all the fundamentals of business, like economics, management, digital media, and the intersections of business with governance.

5. Race, Gender and Ethics - A catalog of courses addressing modern developments in philosophy, psychology, sociology and women, gender, and sexuality studies.

6. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) - Numerous courses further subdivided into the following fields:

a) Astronomy: Alongside three different introductory courses to astrophysics, observational astronomy and the applications of machine learning in astronomy, there are also courses on such niche topics as celestial navigation and the behavior of light.

b) Biology: With no fewer than 23 courses available, everything from neurobiology, to biodiversity, gene regulation, epidemiology, and even zoology and ornithology are covered.

c) Computer Science: Harvard offers a single course that is an introduction to data science and visualization. You’ll be learning Python through hands-on exposure to publicly available datasets and Matplotlib, culminating in a two-day mini-project. This is followed by a more complex dive into JavaScript, web scraping, data cleaning, computational analysis and sophisticated visualizations.

d) Math: There are four math courses available that cover the mathematical elements of AI, mathematical modeling for the biological and medical sciences, along with more niche topics like the history of math and its implications in social justice.

e) Physics: Harvard offers a dedicated course on the introduction to relativity. Everything from Lorentz transformations, Einstein’s general relativity equations, gravitational wave interferometry and black holes is discussed in detail, with a comprehensive look at how they establish the current formulation of fundamental physics.

You can check out the complete list of courses here.

There are three batches of sessions available, so that you are able to plan your attendance as per your convenience:

• Session 1: June 23 - July 5, 2024

• Session 2: July 7 - 19, 2024

• Session 3: July 21 - August 2, 2024

Who is eligible to apply?

Harvard’s pre-college program is designed for mature, academically motivated students, and you must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply:

• You must be a rising junior or senior.

• You must graduate high school and enter college in 2025 or 2026.

• You must be at least 16 years old by June 22, 2024, and not turn 19 before July 31, 2024.
  

How does the application process work?

The application opens on December 1, 2023. The key deadlines are as follows:

• Early application and priority financial aid deadline: January 10, 2024.

• Regular application and financial aid deadline: February 14, 2024.

• Late application deadline: April 10, 2024.
  

The complete program calendar and all important dates and deadlines are available here.

The application fee is $75, while the program fee is $5,550, covering tuition, room and meal plan, activity costs, and insurance.

A limited number of need-based scholarships are available for this program if you’re a US citizen or permanent resident or are granted DACA status. The details of financial aid are available here.

Is it prestigious?

Harvard's Pre-College Program is renowned for its rigorous academic environment and the prestige of its Ivy League affiliation. With students from over 72 countries, the program offers unparalleled opportunities for networking, collaboration, and exposure to diverse perspectives. While the application is open to all high school students, the selection process is still highly competitive, ensuring that you will be among the most motivated and talented students worldwide. The small batch sizes ensure that you will have plenty of faculty interaction, while the hands-on and experiential nature of the pedagogy mean that you will receive thorough exposure to core concepts.

Pros and cons of participating

Pros:

1. Rigorous academic experience: Courses are designed to challenge and inspire you, fostering deep learning and intellectual growth. The pedagogy is highly immersive and more reliant on practical application rather than only theoretical lectures, further enhancing the learning you can receive.

2. Small class sizes: With there being only 12-18 students per course, it ensures personalized attention from Harvard’s renowned instructors and a collaborative learning environment.

3. Diverse course offerings: The wide array of subjects (over 90!) allows you to explore your interests and branch into a new field or go deep into one specific area that you’re highly passionate about.

4. Excellent networking opportunities: With students from around the globe, the program offers rich cultural exchange and networking. There are also plenty of pre-program events exclusively for participants that will further assist with this.

Cons:

1. It is expensive: The total program fee of $5,550 plus additional expenses may be prohibitive for some families. This also ties into the second point.

2. Limited financial aid: While financial aid is available, it is limited and typically covers only a portion of the program cost and not its entirety.

3. Intensity: The rigorous nature of the program, including homework expectations, may be challenging for you to balance with other summer commitments.

In summary, Harvard's Pre-College Program offers a unique opportunity for high school students to explore STEAM and other fields within a prestigious and challenging academic setting. While the program demands commitment and comes with a significant cost, the benefits — from deepened academic insights to global networking — make it a compelling choice for motivated students.

If you’re looking to build unique projects in the field of AI/ML, consider applying to Veritas AI! 

Veritas AI was founded by Harvard graduate students, and through the programs, you get a chance to learn the fundamentals of AI and computer science while collaborating on real-world projects. You can also work 1-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn data science and AI with us. You can apply here!

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