Washington Monthly - September/October 2019 - 21

admission summer programs select only the best students on the
basis of merit and are often free or comparatively affordable."

T

o their credit, some colleges are fairly up-front that going to their pre-college program won't be a boon with
the admissions office. Rice University's website, for
example, flatly states that "Admission to Rice Summer Sessions does not in any way influence your admission to Rice as
an undergraduate."
Nevertheless, many parents and students still believe
otherwise. Some of this is due to a general conviction that
any edge, however small, is worth it in the college admissions
arms race. But colleges help encourage these perceptions
though practices that create the impression that the programs
are more selective and valuable than they probably are. Some
institutions, for instance, explicitly argue in their marketing
materials that their pre-college programs will make students
more competitive. Columbia University's pre-college website
promises "an Ivy League achievement for your college transcript," while Johns Hopkins urges students to "Get an edge
on the competition for college admissions."
At the same time, Sean Recroft, the assistant dean for
summer programs at Johns Hopkins, said admission to summer pre-college programs doesn't help students get into Hopkins later. "It does not hurt if you do a program and do well,"
he said. "But we're certainly not a feeder to Hopkins undergraduate programs."
Perhaps the most common way that colleges build an
aura of prestige around pre-college is by requiring students to
go through an onerous application process that mimics the selectivity of undergraduate admissions. Harvard, for instance,
requires a $75 nonrefundable application fee, a "counselor report," and transcripts. Deadlines are as early as February, creating a sense of urgency in submitting applications, and the website mentions the role of an "admissions committee" in reviewing applications. Stanford University's "Pre-Collegiate Summer
Institutes" likewise requires a $65 application fee, transcripts,
one to four teacher recommendations, and even work samples
(depending on the program). And a blog post on Brown's precollege site warns, "Take the pre-college application as seriously
as you would a college application."
College Transitions' Andrew Belasco argues that there's
a purpose to having such elaborate admissions processes for
programs that ultimately aren't very selective. "It gets people
to buy in," he said. "You're more likely to commit if you have
to invest something beforehand and more likely to think it's a
legitimate program."
The techniques seem to work. Back at the crowdfunding
site GoFundMe, an earnest-looking teen with glasses and brunette waves named Emma was hoping to raise $3,650 for another Stanford pre-college program this summer. "As would be expected, the entire application process was a difficult one, as it
was aimed towards thousands of kids who will possibly be our
next leaders," she wrote. "As a result, the application itself was
based off Stanford's college application which included teacher

recommendations, national test scores, work samples, essays,
and more. It was honestly a miracle just to get in!"
These GoFundMe campaigns are evidence of at least
some students' inflated sense of the prestige of pre-college
programs. They are also evidence of how some schools are encouraging students to go to extraordinary lengths to raise the
money to attend. Pre-college programs don't qualify for federal financial aid, and while some schools offer grants or scholarships to cover the cost, the amount is typically minimal. Notre
Dame's Office of Pre-College Programs, for instance, says on
its website that it only offers "[v]ery limited need-based, partial scholarships" and "does not offer merit-based financial assistance or scholarships."
In lieu of aid, some schools are more likely to direct students to fundraising guides. In addition to Stanford, these
schools include top-tier institutions like Northwestern, Brown,
Emory, and Brandeis. The results of these tactics are what you
see on GoFundMe.

Perhaps the most common
way that colleges build an aura
of prestige around pre-college
programs is by requiring
students to go through an
onerous application process
that mimics the selectivity of
undergraduate admissions.
"I'm calling to raise $2500 for the program at Northeastern
because I truly do not want to let go of such an amazing, rigorous program that will inevitably help me pursue my dreams, and
I believe that anyone given such a great opportunity should never pass it up because of financial difficulties," writes Mealaktey, a
high schooler in Rhode Island. "I also cannot pass up the opportunity to study at the university I am highly interested in applying to in the future."
Some of the guides supplied by schools suggest tactics like
bake sales and online auctions and even include a sample fundraising letter with blanks for students to fill in, like this, from
Washington University: "I am a student at (name of school) and
have recently been accepted by Washington University in St.
Louis to attend a summer program for outstanding students. I
have maintained a grade point average of ____ and have been
highly involved in (list activities, teams, community work). I
have enrolled in (name of courses or program), because I am passionate about _________."
Not surprisingly, the for-profit pre-college company Envision also offers a fundraising guide for students, along with a
link to Fundraising.com, where students can sell popcorn, mugs,
Washington Monthly

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http://www.Fundraising.com
Washington Monthly - September/October 2019

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