Columbia U Engineering – Summer Foundations of Research & Streetscapes (Stipend!)

Columbia U Engineering – Summer Foundations of Research & Streetscapes (Stipend!)

By Brittany MaschalDec 09, 2025

Awesome programs for NYC-based students!

For six weeks, students work with Columbia Engineering researchers and participate in programming to develop their academic and professional skills. Students gain practical research experience, collaborate with research faculty, staff, and students, practice new skills, and take part in multi-level mentorship. ENG has two tracks students can apply to: Foundations of Research (FoR) or Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3). 

Program components include experience in working on genuine engineering research projects, research skills and college prep workshops, science communications workshops, and additional supplemental seminars and opportunities. Students are provided with a stipend to support them over the summer. They encourage all rising seniors (current 11th graders) with an interest in engineering and research to apply.

The application is now open! Applicants should know that the application uses the same platform as the graduate school, so some questions may not be relevant for high school students. Those questions can be left blank.

Read more here –> https://outreach.engineering.columbia.edu/eng 

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Jameel Clinic AI & Health High School Summer Bootcamp

Jameel Clinic AI & Health High School Summer Bootcamp

By Brittany MaschalDec 07, 2025

Fantastic opportunity at MIT; application is now open!

More info….

We’re pleased to share that the application portal for the Jameel Clinic AI & Health High School Summer Bootcamp is officially open! As technology continues to accelerate and shape society, we believe it’s critical to equip students with the knowledge to understand some of the biggest challenges facing humanity today. In this rigorous, one-week program, students will have the chance to learn from and meet faculty from MIT and Harvard Medical School while contributing to a final project that will hone their research capabilities in AI and health.

Our bootcamp is designed to bring the “MIT experience” to students, whether it’s Nobel Prize winners or quadruped robots. This program introduces students to transformative ideas from world-class faculty, clinicians, and industry pioneers, helping the next generation of thinkers identify and understand where the real risks and opportunities are when it comes to bringing the power of AI into human health.

Learn more here –> https://jclinic.mit.edu/events/high-school-summer-bootcamp/

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Free SAT Bootcamp

Free SAT Bootcamp

By Brittany MaschalSep 04, 2025
Time to prep! Sharing a free program via Schoolhouse.

SAT Bootcamps: 4-week program kicking off on September 5th (schedule selected by student)
  • Perfect for students taking the Oct. 4th SAT
  • Students can choose between Math or Reading & Writing, or take both
  • They’ll meet with a small group of students and a peer tutor twice a week

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Resume Magic

Resume Magic

By Brittany MaschalMay 29, 2025
What selective colleges look for in applicants is fairly well known. Academic excellence in your school’s most rigorous classes is a start, as are competitive test scores. But many applicants overlook the magic that happens when what excites you in the classroom begins to show up in what you do outside of it. This is how you demonstrate that you have a curious mind, some intellectual spark. As Michigan says, “Show us how the combination of coursework and related activities inspired original thinking on your part.” These connections light up the eyes of AdComs at the most selective colleges.
 
I also want to point out something Princeton says that really highlights why your resume matters so much in this process, as they seek to “understand your potential to take advantage of the resources at Princeton and the kind of contribution you would make to the Princeton community.” What you do in high school foreshadows what you might do in college. When you look at your resume, is that picture clear, and does it include academics? College is school, after all…. 
 
You don’t need to be applying to Princeton, Yale, or Michigan to benefit from this advice: 
 

Yale podcast/blog: https://admission.princeton.edu/blogs/testing-rigor-ai-and-what-are-we-really-looking-your-questions-answered-dean-richardson

Michigan’s application instructions: https://admissions.umich.edu/apply/first-year-applicants/selection-process

Princeton’s helpful tips: https://admission.princeton.edu/apply/before-you-apply/helpful-tips

 
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The New York Times – 16th Annual Summer Reading Contest

The New York Times – 16th Annual Summer Reading Contest

By Brittany MaschalMay 27, 2025

Students are invited to tell the NYT’s what they’re reading in The Times and why, this year in writing OR via a 90-second video.

Contest dates: June 6 to Aug. 15, 2025

Our Summer Reading Contest is our longest-running challenge — and our simplest.

All you have to do to participate is tell us what you’re reading, watching or listening to in The New York Times and why. Students can enter by submitting a short written response — or they can make a video up to 90 seconds long.

Don’t have a subscription? No problem! We’ll be providing dozens of free links to teen-friendly articles, essays, videos, podcasts and graphics every week from June through August.

Got questions? Everything you need is detailed below.

But if you’re a teacher who would like to have your students practice for this now, before the contest begins, note that the only rule around content is that a piece must have been published in 2025. Beyond that, we don’t care if your students pick something on sneakers, starlight, Syria or Saturday Night Live; TikTok, the tropics, Trump or Timothée Chalamet.

The announcement is available as a one-page PDF to download!

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Free summer AP prep courses for high school students

Free summer AP prep courses for high school students

By Brittany MaschalMay 12, 2025

The Gilder Lehrman History School program is back!

History School is open to all high school students and available free of charge. All courses are led by a History Teacher of the Year-winning educator and consist of 6 one-hour-long classes held weekly via Zoom.

Registration is now open for the following courses:

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New Museum Teen Fellowship

New Museum Teen Fellowship

By Brittany MaschalApr 30, 2025

The NewMu Teen Fellowship is a paid, after-school program for New York City public high school students. The Fellowship spans two school years, allowing time for Fellows to develop their creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression. They work directly with professional artists, Museum staff, and community members and gain creative and professional development through mentorship, work experience, and leadership opportunities. The Fellowship amplifies youth voices and ideas by supporting large-scale projects, including a public display of their artwork and a Youth Summit.

The Fellowship meets weekly on Tuesdays, from 4 to 6pm, and will run from September 2025 through June 2027, excluding summer breaks and school recesses. Fellows are expected to commit to the full program, consisting of two school years.

Read more here and apply by May 18!

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Trends in High School GPAs among Incoming Freshman Classes of Big Ten Schools

Trends in High School GPAs among Incoming Freshman Classes of Big Ten Schools

By Brittany MaschalMar 04, 2025

I can’t think of a better example of nerding out to post on a blog about college admissions than Wade Fagen-Ulmschneider and Louisa Zhang’s (Illinois ’27) “Trends in High School GPAs among Incoming Freshman Classes of Big Ten Schools.“

They analyzed 286 reports to source Questions C11 and C12 in the Common Data Sets. The reports accessed in this work are published publicly by each University. 

Other data nerds can join in the fun through a MicroProject they built to spread the data love. Oh, and their work also highlights the need for near-perfect grades for some of the more selective Big 10 schools! 

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Final Call for Inspiring Girls* Expeditions 2025 Applications!

Final Call for Inspiring Girls* Expeditions 2025 Applications!

By Brittany MaschalFeb 08, 2025

🚨 DEADLINE TODAY!

Applications for Girls* on Ice Canada are due tonight at 11:59pm PST!

📅 Upcoming deadlines for the rest of our expeditions are:

        February 9th for Girls* in Icy Fjords and Girls* on Rock (in two days!)
        February 14th for Girls* on Ice Schweiz, Girls* on Ice Suisse, and Girls* on Ice Austria
        March 2nd for Girls* on Ice Alaska and Girls* on Water

Share this with teachers, parents, and students who might be interested! Appy here. 

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Course Planning: All Five Cores, All Four Years!

Course Planning: All Five Cores, All Four Years!

By Brittany MaschalFeb 04, 2025

Colleges have long-loved students who take English, Math, Social Studies, Science, and Language every year of high school. It’s my most despised suggestion so I’m sharing College MatchPoint’s blog as backup. I do believe there are exceptions depending on the student, their school goals, major, the selectivity of their list, and where they go to high school, but either way, read more here!

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