Just Do It! Ideal Summer Programs for Discovery & Exploration
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Making Summer Count
Summer Programs List
Tips for Choosing the Right Fit
Summer is your time to grow, explore, and stand out. In this post, we highlight exceptional summer programs that help high school students discover new passions, build confidence, and gain real-world experiences — all while shaping a more compelling college application. From leadership intensives and global adventures to creative and career-focused programs, you’ll find opportunities designed to expand your horizons and give vivid form to the aspirations that make you unique.
If you're looking for amazing and eclectic summer programs for high school students, keep reading, you'll find them here. We’ve written elsewhere about academic competitions, summer volunteering opportunities, community service ideas, tutoring options, pre-college summer study programs, summer research opportunities, and even about summer programs that are free!
In this post, we lay out all the other opportunities out there — almost everything else under the summer sun, including:
- travel and cultural immersion programs
- camps for building leadership and diplomacy skills
- career exploration programs — not only for STEM fields, business, law, or medicine either, but also stuff like stock investing, culinary arts, journalism, architecture, fashion design, script writing, and more...
- retreats for enjoying art and creativity, through painting, sculpture, dance, screen writing, jewelry making...
- outdoor adventure or outdoor adventure leadership courses to get into the outdoors and out of your comfort zones
- outdoor-focused service learning or environmental stewardship programs and excursions
These are summer programs for the restless, the curious, and the intrepid — for high schoolers eager to quite literally expand their life horizons and break out of the school-year mold in a big way.
But, what about making summer count for your college journey too? For your college applications down the road?
The fact is, leaning into your passions and stretching beyond your comfort zone can spark lots personal growth, awareness, and insights, which is a reminder that you don't need to limit your summer program options to research and pre-college courses. Summer programs designed for adventure, (self) exploration, (self) discovery, or self expression have a pivotal role of their own to play in your larger college journey (and in enhancing your college applications).
Aligning Summer Programs With Your College Aspirations
Summer offers so many opportunities… The fact you’re reading this tells me you know this and ready to make your summers stand out.
But what kinds of summer programs are a good fit if you want to get into leading universities down the road?
Well, don’t forget that in addition to strong academic determination, leading colleges seek to attract students with unique and diverse talents, and meaningful aspirations for using their education and gifts to make an impact.
Therefore, if you're a motivated high school student, don't limit yourself to pre-college summer courses. Other summer programs out there offer high school students opportunities for more open-ended discovery and exploration — for exploration of other places and cultures, and for deeper self-discovery, for growing in self-awareness and in self-confidence.
Expanding your insights experientially in this way may be especially important for getting into Ivy League universities and similar leading universities. Researchers have found that these “elite” schools wind up educating many of the “elite” influencers of the upcoming generation — the top leaders, decision makers, creative thinkers, innovators, and trend setters.
This means elite schools want to recruit students based on more than class rank and academic scores alone — an applicant's character, self-awareness, resilience, ideals, and aspirational qualities can matter a lot.
By stepping into summer programs that spark introspection, experiential growth, aspirational growth, or global citizenship, you not only have a lot to gain personally, your commitment will show admissions officers how you live into your interests and aspirations, how you use each new opportunity in life as a springboard for reflection and growth and for learning about the larger world around you, for clarifying your own goals and aspirations, for honing interpersonal skills, for serving others, and more.
How Will You Rank for Passion and Aspiration?
Some researchers believe, statistically speaking at least, that students who attend elite universities are more likely to ascend to big roles in business, government, creative industries, or civil service; to become the next Nobel laureates, and so on. This level of achievement requires uncommon character traits, aspirations, and ideals, not just an exceptional GPA.
If you’re going to apply to leading universities, where will you rank when it comes to your aspirational goals and the passion and motivation behind them?
Admissions officers at elite universities will likely be curious about these aspirations and about how they might predict what you will strive to achieve both in college and after graduation.
Summer Programs Ideal for Discovery, Exploration, and Adventure
Below you’ll find some stand out summer programs for students who want to break out of traditional academic activities like band, athletics, coding, and clubs.
You’ll find the activities grouped into the following categories — to the extent possible — but sometimes the fit is not perfect:
- Outdoor Adventure
- STEM Career Exploration
- Other Career Exploration
- Creative Arts
- Sustainability & Conservation
- Civic Engagement, Service Learning, Leadership
Outdoor Adventure
Outward Bound Courses and Expeditions for High School Students
Dates/Sessions: Session length and dates vary by course/expedition
Location: Wilderness destinations across the US
Description: Outward Bound offers a wide range of wilderness courses and expeditions, with shorter summer programs (typically 2 week sessions) and semester programs too — great for gap years. Ages 18–14 primarily.
Dates/Sessions: 1–2 weeks or longer; dates vary by course
Location: Costa Rica, in partnership with the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in Costa Rica
Description: Backpacking, surfing, whitewater rafting adventures, and some programs offering service opportunities as well. Ages 14–18.
Dates/Sessions: 3 weeks; dates vary by program and location
Locations: Cambridge or Yale
Description: Students ages 13–18 participate in a wide range of outdoor activities while also building leadership skills in the context of leading outdoor activities.
ActionQuest Summer Adventures for Teens - Rescue Adventure Diving Camp
Dates/Sessions: 3 weeks; mid-June through mid-August
Location: Virgin Islands
Description: Ready to elevate your diving prowess and certification level? This diver safety program leads to advanced certification, a foundation for moving on to Divemaster or Instructor levels. Students hone diving skills, participate in rescue scenarios, and fine tune sailing, water skiing, and wakeboarding moves in addition to exploring island towns and mountain hikes. Open to students ages 15–18.
Adventure EXP Summer & Gap Year Work Adventures
Dates/Sessions: Vary
Locations: Vary
Description: Part internship, part summer job, part outdoor adventure and exploration. Apply for and get placed in great outdoor locales while learning about the hospitality industry in jobs or apprenticeships in great places around the US and the world. For students 18 and older, making it ideal for after graduation or to jazz up a gap year! Programs vary and change by year and by season; check out the full program website for current opportunities.
Travel, Cultural Immersion, Language Immersion
CIEE High School Summer in Spain: Culinary Arts
Dates/Sessions: 3 weeks; July 10–30
Location: Alicante, Spain
Description: Taste and craft iconic Spanish and Mediterranean dishes in hands-on cooking classes while discovering Spain’s rich culinary heritage. Try your hand at menu design and meal presentation, while also enjoying swimming at San Juan Beach, a visit to Tabarca island, and more.
ICADS Summer Internship Program
Dates/Sessions: 9 weeks; June 2–August 1
Location: San Jose, Costa Rica
Description: Immersion in Costa Rican language and culture. Learn Spanish, live with a host family, work at an internship placement.
Dates/Sessions: Vary
Locations: Vary
Description: Immersive and fun summer travel programs to destinations around the world. Students (ages 13+) travel and explore alongside like-minded peers and under the guidance of experienced trip leaders and Smithsonian Student Travel Experts. Activities are focused on culture, history, language, and cuisine.
Global Works Travel — French Immersion & Spanish Immersion Programs
Dates/Sessions: Vary
Locations: Vary
Description: A mix of language and culture immersion and service learning at destinations in France, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, for students in grades 9–12.
STEM Career Exploration
Dates/Sessions: 1 week; June 23–29
Location: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University
Description: SAGE, or Science Accelerating Girls’ Engagement in STEM, is a free, one-week residential camp for public school students from all backgrounds. Students can make professional connections, learn about scientific discoveries and engineering processes, and explore STEM careers in the future.
Dates/Sessions: 1 week; July 1–5; July 8–12; July 15–19
Location: California
Description: Students ages 13–16 with an interest in oceanography, coastal and marine ecology, and sea life explore the world of life sciences and ocean studies along the California coast from aboard the Seaward, a classic 82-foot schooner. Students build skills, knowledge, confidence, and leadership while engaged in whale watching, plankton study, navigation, squid dissection, and vessel handling.
Dates/Sessions: Programs running from late May through mid-August
Location: 75 universities across the continental US, plus virtual camps
Description: Tech-focused STEM camps were students delve into technology exploration alongside new friends and expert tech mentors while enjoying breaks with field games and board games. Tech topics include coding, game development, robotics, 3D printing, and more. Activities, topics, and formats may vary by location and program. Day camps and overnight camps offered.
Summer Academy at UGA — 3D Animation
Dates/Sessions: 1 week; July 14–18
Location: University of Georgia, Athens Georgia
Description: An introductory camp offering students ages 13–17 an immersive exploration of basic modeling and animation techniques and the basics of Autodesk’s Maya software tools. Day camp and residential camp options.
Harvard Computer Society AI Bootcamp
Dates/Sessions: 1 week; June 2–6; June 9–13, June 16–20, June 23–27
Location: Virtual bootcamp (Zoom), times vary by session
Description: For high school students comfortable with Python and rigorous mathematical reasoning. No AI/ML experience required. Immersive and project-based learning focused on topics at the cutting edge of AI/ML research, offering two tracks: Intro and Advanced. Bootcamps are run by the student-run Harvard Computer Society.
Futures by UC San Diego Extended Studies
Dates/Sessions: Vary
Location: Online
Description: STEM workforce exploration, with program options across a wide range IT concentrations and cutting-edge workforce learning and exploration, for high schoolers ages 15–18. Check out the program website to see all the program options, from AutoCAD and iOS Programming to Digital Circuit Design, Web Development and more.
Other Career Exploration
Campus Oxford: Career Insights in London, New York, or San Francisco
Dates/Sessions: 2 weeks; June 29–July 12; July 13–26; July 27–August 9
Locations: London, New York, or San Francisco
Description: Students ages 15–18 can experience life in their chosen field of career exploration, first-hand. Under the guidance of tutors with expertise in their field, students participate in workshops, role plays, career coaching sessions, group seminars, and industry visits while taking in the sights and sounds of a world-class city and making new friends from around the world. See the program website for the full list of career fields offered.
Career Edge Programs at NYU’s High School Academy
Dates/Sessions: 1 week; June 23–27; July 7–11; July 14–18; July 28–August 1; August 4–8
Locations: New York University, New York
Description: Though some features are similar to pre-college academic programs, Career Edge programs don’t offer college credit but immerse students in career exploration while also giving them a taste of college life. A long list of career fields to choose from and explore, from book publishing to fashion, finance, journalism, investing, and more! — See the program website for the full list.
Social Impact Companies & NGOs Virtual Internship
Dates/Sessions: 4 weeks; dates vary
Location: Online
Description: Virtual internships for high school students, ages 14–18, offering opportunities for career exploration and connecting with global career networks, professional development resources, and more, with a focus on companies and NGOs in the social impact space. Virtual Internships is a leading European EdTech startup providing virtual internships since 2018. Skill areas emphasized include business management and administration, human resources, marketing.
National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) Summer Programs
Dates/Sessions: Vary
Locations: Across the US; the University of British Columbia; the University of Oxford
Description: These “leadership” programs are really about career exploration and pre-college experiences. There are summer programs for high schoolers and for middle schoolers. Students can search programs, dates, and locations by the career field they wish to explore — and dozens of fields are available, from Cybersecurity and Interior Design to Marine Biology, Leadership, Medicine, Film, International Diplomacy, and more.
Envision Career Exploration & Youth Leadership Programs
Dates/Sessions: Vary
Locations: Vary
Description: Part academic learning, part career exploration, part leadership development, Envision programs help students pursue career interests and test-drive careers, with instruction, 21st-century learning principles, and hands-on learning experiences “from performing surgery using virtual reality to conducting a mock trial in an actual courtroom to learning how to create a grassroots organization to affect positive change” and more. See the program catalog online to find out more about options for high school students or middle school students.
UC Berkeley (UCB) Architecture & Design Summer Programs for High Schoolers
Dates/Sessions: 4 weeks; July 7–August 1
Location: UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design
Description: Dive deep into the world of architecture, design, and urban planning as you prepare for future success in architecture and design fields. Ideal for rising juniors and seniors aspiring to pursue majors and/or careers in architecture and design.
- UCB Design + Build Bootcamp (2 weeks)
Dates/Sessions: 2 weeks; July 14–25
Location: UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design
Imagine, design, and build a miniature golf course using state-of-the-art tools in the College of Environmental Design’s industrial wood and metal shop and digital fabrication lab. Ideal for rising 10th and 11th graders.
CIEE High School Summer in Paris, France: Fashion Design and French Culture
Dates/Sessions: 3 weeks; June 12–July 2; July 10–July 30
Location: Paris, France
Description: Explore the world and work process of fashion design, from conception to production. Discover how design processes integrate patterns, sketches, prototypes, and 3D rendering and try your hand at creating your own fashion designs. Residential program for ages 14–18.
Healthcare Career Exploration Academy (Quinnipiac University)
Dates/Sessions: 2 weeks; July 7–18
Location: Quinnipiac University, Connecticut
Description: Vocational exploration across ten different healthcare disciplines: students in grades 10, 11, 12 (or recent graduates) learn about career opportunities within allied health professions, gain certification in health-related skills.
Boston Leadership Institute: Marine Biology — Land & Sea
Dates/Sessions: 1 week; June 23–27; July 28–August 1
Locations: Gann/Bentley, Waltham, Massachusetts (session 1); Olin College, Needham, Massachusetts (session 2)
Description: Get your hands dirty in real New England marshlands, fields, rivers, and forests exploring wildlife habitats, geology, and more. Touted as “the perfect option for students who have outgrown the typical summer camp but don’t want to spend the summer in a lab.”
LaunchX Online Innovation Summer Program
Dates/Sessions: 3 weeks; June 9–June 27
Location: Online (worldwide) (for teams)
Description: Experience the world of business consulting? Act as a consultant for 3 weeks with a partnering enterprise solving a problem with an existing corporation to get hands-on experiences in technology, business, and a changing workforce. The ideal student will have demonstrated self-initiative, problem-solving capacity, and teamwork skills. Experience in entrepreneurship is not required.
Dates/Sessions: 1 week; sessions from late June to early August
Location: Zoo Miami, Florida
Description: An immersive career exploration camp for younger adventure seekers, ages 13–15, where you discover not only what zookeepers do, but about the full spectrum of zoo operations — from marketing and conservation research to educational programming.
Creative Arts
Career Edge Programs at NYU’s High School Academy
Dates/Sessions: 1 week; June 23–27; July 7–11; July 14–18; July 28–August 1; August 4–8
Location: New York University, New York
Description: Though some features are similar to pre-college academic programs, Career Edge programs don’t offer college credit but immerse students in career exploration while also giving them a taste of college life. Creative career fields include: screenwriting and visual storytelling; creating and a writing television series; creative writing.
ISSOS — Photography, Theatre, and Film Courses
Sessions/Dates: 3 weeks; Dates vary based on program and location
Locations: St. Andrews University, Scotland, or Yale University, or Cambridge University
Description: Academically oriented summer programs in photography, theatre, and film where students can pick from three amazing university settings: St. Andrews, Yale, or Cambridge (film program not offered at Cambridge)
Summer Academy at the University of Georgia — Jewelry Making
Dates/Sessions: 1 week; June 2–6
Location: University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Description: Learn basic metalsmithing techniques utilizing the jewelry-making studio at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. For students ages 14–17
The Putney School of Summer Arts
Dates/Sessions: 3 weeks; June 19–July 18
Location: Putney School of Summer Arts, Putney, Vermont
Description: Immersive workshops in a variety of fine arts and performing arts, plus creative writing, and farm and culinary, within a summer camp environment. Students choose any two workshops. Emphasis on artistic self-expression, exploration, and experimentation.
Sustainability & Conservation
Global Works Travel — Wildlife and Sustainability Adventures
Dates/Sessions: 2 weeks; dates vary by destination
Locations: Vary
Description: Students can pick from destinations such as Costa Rica, Ecuador (Galapagos and the Andes), and Peru. Opportunities include Spanish immersion, service work in conservation efforts, fieldwork and workshops on environmental topics, and exploring natural environments and wildlife habitats. Trip options for both middle and high school students.
Brown University Environmental Leadership Labs
Dates/Sessions: 1–2 weeks; dates vary by program/location
Locations: Alaska; Eastern Sierras; Florida Keys; Rhode Island
Description: Interdisciplinary, hands-on learning experiences that expose students to concepts in environmental studies, ecology, leadership, and social responsibility. For students completing grades 10–12, ages 16–18.
Civic Engagement; Service Learning; Leadership
The School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL): Summer Institute
Dates/Sessions: 6 weeks; June 28–August 9
Locations: Washington D.C.; London; Johannesburg, South Africa
Description: Immersive collaborative learning in ethics and leadership centered around three different capstone projects (ethics document, policy document, and social venture business plan). Ideal for rising high school juniors or seniors.
ISSOS International Youth Leadership Summer School Program
Dates/Sessions: 3 weeks; June 29–July 20; July 23–August 13
Location: St. Andrews University, Scotland
Description: A residential, academically structured program in leadership skills. Students participate in team-based learning and activities to develop leadership, interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills while building greater self confidence.
NYU Summer Programs: Fundamentals of Leadership - Understanding Yourself and Empowering Others
Dates/Sessions: 1 week; July 14–18; July 21–25
Location: New York University, New York
Description: Immersion into deeper and more transformative leadership traits and competencies through interactive learning that mixes self-reflection and personal growth or “inner work” along with emotional intelligence and practical competencies, for more effective decision making, conflict resolution, self-management, and more. For high school students who have completed grades 9, 10, or 11.
Wave Week Service & Leadership Training
Dates/Sessions: 1 week; July 14–18
Location: Villanova University, Villanova, PA
Description: In this intensive one-week residential program for rising 7th graders through 12th graders, students develop leadership skills, network with local non-profits, design service projects, and meet lots of potential new friends.
Tips for Choosing Your Ideal Summer Programs & Destinations
Sooo many summer programs for discovery and exploration... Can't wait to get going? What about how to choose the best program or programs?
Here are some quick tips for helping you figure out which programs just don't align with your interests or preferences, or simply don't align with your current circumstances (because of cost, geographical location, dates...).
Tips To Help You Decide
Picking the right summer program or programs will help you get the most out of your high school summer and thoughtfully weigh your options in the light of your immediate preferences and other factors, such as how much impact the program might have on your college admissions goals or how a program aligns, or not, with your academic interests, planned college major, or career interests.
Use the list below as a guide to make the process faster and easier!
Take Stock of Your Interests and Goals
Think about what kinds of programs will have the kinds of activities and experiences you're looking forward to, and what your want to get out of the program.
Is breaking out of the routine of your school-day schedules what you need most, or do you really want something that offers really immersive and intensive hands-on learning, lots of time out of doors, or...?
Are you after learning more about a subject you already are into, or do want some more open-ended discovery and experimentation... trying out new things?
Is the Location Important?
Do you want to be in a big city, on a university campus, outdoors, or simply online? If time in open spaces is what you're after, do you have stronger likes or dislikes when it comes to climate or places? Do you want to be on a beach or in the mountains, in the countryside...? Does the kind of lodging or accommodations matter much, or not?
College & Career Goals and Aspirations
The ideal program could be one that really excites you — like doing something you've always wanted to try but never have, or getting out into the wilderness for a couple of weeks — AND one that also resonates with at least some aspects of your academic, college, or career goals.
Doing landscape painting outdoors in the mountains, for example, or maybe you can do a theater program at Yale to explore life on a college campus while honing your acting skills, or explore Costa Rica or Ecuador while learning about conservation science or about hospitality management...
If you plan to study medicine, but want a travel adventure, you could do service work in a third-world country to expand your horizons as a global citizen and see how that experience (re)shapes your educational goals as an aspiring physician or medical researcher...
As you can see, there are lots of avenues for thinking about pursuing adventure and discovery while also picking programs that will truly add depth and new dimensions to your college journey as well!
Program Format
In addition to the general type of program, be sure to research and consider the daily program formats, schedules, or itineraries.
Some programs are very intensive and immersive, others explore key themes with a lighter touch and weave in lots of flexible time for recreation. Sometimes the format leaves time for more self-directed activities or relaxation; other times the recreational activities may be very structured, team-driven, and so on.
Travel & Logistics
While common sense dictates that you need to carefully consider what transportation options you have, how you'll get to the program location, what the program costs are — including travel and accommodation costs — sometimes in our excitement we forget to think about these pesky details! Before you go all in on choosing a specific program, be sure it's within your budget, there's an effective option for getting there (and back), and enough lead time to plan all of these logistics.
Eligibility, Deadlines, Other Fine Print...
Once you've really homed in on your top choices, be sure to slow down and check the fine print (if you haven't already). Items to watch for include:
- limitations based on your age or grade level in school; other eligibility constraints
- additional costs; prohibitive costs; non-refundable down payments
- dates that conflict with other summer plans, events, or obligations; registration deadlines
Final Thoughts
Summer programs for teens that offer opportunities for exploration, growth, discovery, and adventure can give you a welcome and healthy break from your academic commitments — deepening your self-awareness and expanding your aspirations in ways that will also help you stand out when you apply to college as well.
Finally, the programs we've just explored can also be a source of inspiration and help you demonstrate passion, independence, and growth if you're charting a gap year path and need to reapply to selective universities in the fall.
You can also learn about more summer programs here — for internships, pre-college courses, or personalized research and capstone projects.
For a truly personalized approach to extracurricular planning and academic enrichment programs, your best option could be charting your path with the guidance of an experienced admissions advisor. Finding the right opportunities often relies on taking advantage of the insights of experienced counselors — and doing so well before it's your time to fill out college applications.
To find out more about how a personalized approach can help, you might want to take advantage of a free feedback session with a Crimson specialist.
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Schedule yours today to find out just how much of a difference our advisors can make!
Key Resources & Further Reading
About the Author
Keith Nickolaus
Keith Nickolaus is a former educator with a passion for languages, literature, and lifelong learning. After obtaining a B.A. from UC Santa Cruz and exploring university life in Paris, Keith earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and then worked for 16 years in K12 education before setting up shop as a freelance writer.
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