Are you an aspiring young architect looking for fun and educational opportunities this summer? Many colleges and universities host summer classes and camps for high school students. These sessions are excellent opportunities to explore your passions, make lifelong friends, and improve your resume. Now’s the time to start applying, so here are just a few of the many programs around the nation that may pique your interest.
Cornell Architecture Summer Program (More Information Here)
Cornell University, one of the most highly regarded schools in the U.S. for its prestigious architecture program, offers an online summer opportunity for high school students. This program is open to incoming juniors and seniors, and no prior experience in architecture is needed. Upon completion of the courses, Cornell offers 6 college credits and an official Cornell transcript for your hard work. However, this is one of the more expensive programs out there, so if you’re not interested in paying these costs or applying for scholarships, you may want to consider some of the other opportunities on this list. The application deadline for 2024 is May 6th, so start looking into it now!
emBARC Summer Design Academy with UC Berkeley (More Information Here)
UC Berkeley offers an extensive four week long program in July based around architecture for high schoolers entering their junior or senior year. This opportunity offers daily hands-on workshops centered around a variety of architectural skills including urban design classes and material explorations. Students who complete the program are offered college credit and an official UC Berkeley transcript. If you live near UC Berkeley, you can commute to the workshops each day, and if not, the university offers on-campus housing in their dorms for a more immersive experience. The program centers around a final community project, in which you will employ the skills you learn in the workshops to design a project to improve the nearby community; this allows you to make an impact and explore the real-world applications of architecture. Like the Cornell program, it’s a significant expense to attend emBARC, but UC Berkeley offers financial aid to students who need it; simply fill out an extra application.
Boston Architectural College Summer Academy (More Information Here)
Perhaps a more generally accessible option is the BAC’s summer academy. This opportunity is open to high schoolers of all grades and is offered both in person and online. Additionally, you can choose between a side of the program that offers three college credits or one that does not offer any official credits (but is less expensive). In any case, throughout the program, you’ll attend lectures and complete hands-on workshops that will teach you about architecture while developing your collaborative and creative skills. This program is versatile and more than likely able to accommodate you however you wish to learn this summer, whether you’re a senior seeking college credits in person or a freshman just looking to gain some knowledge over online courses.
Keep in mind that the programs described above are just a few of the many great options out there. If you live near a college or university, it’s more than likely to offer similar opportunities, or if you have a dream school it might be a good idea for you to try and find a program there. So if you didn’t find something appealing here, go seek out an alternative that works better for you!