TOP 10 leadership summer schools for high school students
Leadership is a student trait that every Ivy League school is chasing. Students with leadership traits will become star candidates for Ivy League schools, but why are American prestigious schools obsessed with finding leadership traits in applicants???
Why is leadership so important?
From the student traits that Ivy League admissions officers in the past valued the most, it can be seen that having strong leadership can bring significant advantages to applicants. However, to truly demonstrate the applicant's leadership experience and skills, every applicant needs to understand the true meaning of leadership and use a little creativity.
According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) 2023 College Admissions Status Report, more than half of the surveyed colleges and universities in the United States believe that the leadership demonstrated by students is an important factor in their admission decisions. These schools understand that leaders contribute positively to the campus continue to contribute to the community and stand out in their future careers.
The importance of leadership skills in college admissions
Leadership skills refer to abilities that enable individuals to effectively guide, influence, and motivate others to achieve common goals. These skills play a vital role in the college application process, help students excel throughout their higher education journey, and impress employers once they enter the workforce.
When you use these skills to achieve a goal, you gain leadership opportunities. You don’t have to be a certain age or a member of a specific club or organization to do this. Student leaders from all walks of life can develop and strengthen these important skills. This, in turn, shows employers (and admissions committees) that you have what it takes to be a good team player, complete group projects, and set an example on campus.
Examples of Leadership Skills
Some key leadership skills include:
Communication: Effective communication involves expressing ideas clearly, actively listening to others, and adapting your message to suit different audiences.
Strong communication skills are essential for leaders to convey a vision, facilitate group discussions, and maintain an open line of dialogue with team members.
Decision-making: Leaders often need to make quick, informed decisions while considering a variety of factors and potential consequences. The ability to assess a situation and make sound judgments is essential to successful leaders.
Problem-solving: Leaders must identify problems, analyze information, and develop practical solutions. Problem-solving skills enable leaders to address challenges, overcome obstacles, and find new ideas to achieve goals.
Teamwork: Effective leaders know how to work with others, delegate tasks, and create a supportive environment in which team members can thrive. Being a team member requires recognizing and valuing the contributions of others, resolving conflicts, and promoting a culture of mutual respect.
Empathy: Leaders who show empathy can understand and appreciate the feelings, perspectives, and experiences of others. This quality enables them to build strong relationships, provide support, and lead with compassion.
So how do you find a leadership program that's right for you?
In addition to extracurricular activities and volunteer services, even internships, jobs, and other positions can provide leadership training and experience. Choosing a suitable leadership summer school program is a good program to quickly improve in a short period and also help you do college application endorsement.
Therefore, in the process of applying for American universities, soft power leadership skills are becoming more and more important, especially for students who are interested in applying for TOP20 and Ivy League schools. Those who compete with them also have excellent standardized test scores and school grades, and it is difficult to widen the gap in this regard. But if you have participated in a high-quality leadership summer school, especially a student with a low admission rate and difficult courses, the value of your resume will instantly rise to a higher level.
Here are 10 leadership summer schools for high school students
1. Clark Scholars Program
The Clark Scholars Program is a seven-week research program offered by Texas Tech University that attracts outstanding students from across the country and around the world. The program gives students the opportunity to work hand in hand with outstanding faculty from the general academic campus and the Health Sciences Center in a research-intensive environment. The seven-week program also includes weekly seminars, discussions, and field trips. Students will learn with faculty and other students in an atmosphere designed to develop critical thinking skills and career interests. Students are selected based on their academic achievements, faculty recommendations, and career goals. For the 2019 program, appointments were highly competitive. For example, the average SAT score for the 12 participants was in the 99th percentile.
Cost: Free, with on-campus room and board and dining provided.
Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas.
Application Deadline: Usually in early February.
Duration: 7 weeks.
Eligibility: High school students (usually sophomores or juniors) with strong academic performance and a strong interest in STEM fields.
Official link: Clark Scholars Program
2. Sports Management Institute at Boston College
The Sports Management Institute is a one-week summer program designed to provide high school students with the fundamentals and practical experience in sports management. Participants learn business and leadership fundamentals through a variety of activities, including self-assessment, case study analysis, video analysis, expert guest lectures, and collaborative group work. The experiential program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to experience Boston College college life while deepening their understanding of business and leadership elements that are essential to success in academic pursuits and early career efforts.
The program is designed to develop students' leadership and business acumen, offering a wide range of courses covering a variety of topics, including personal leadership, marketing, finance, international leadership, team dynamics, and emotional intelligence. The core of the program is to apply these concepts by developing a group business plan for a product or service. Using design thinking principles, students will use their daily learning to make their "big ideas" into storyboards, and finally present their entrepreneurial ideas to the group on the last day of the program. This immersive approach ensures that participants master theoretical concepts and develop practical expertise.
Cost: Approximately $2,500, including tuition, accommodation, and meals.
Location: Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts.
Application Deadline: Usually in mid-April.
Duration: 1 week.
Eligibility: High school students with an interest in sports management.
Official Website Link: Sports Management Institute at Boston College
3. Leadership for Social Change at Tufts University
Leadership for Social Change is a two-week leadership training designed to develop students' social change leadership capabilities. The course is designed for those who want to develop leadership skills while contributing to the world and the community. The course will enable students to explore real-world challenges, including educational inequality, community segregation, environmental justice, community health, public policy, and grassroots social movements; be able to communicate and learn from faculty members from various disciplines at Tufts University who study social inequality issues; during the course, students enjoy evening social activities, weekend activities, make friends from all over the world, and visit and learn from local community organizations and leaders in Boston.
Cost: Approximately $3,200, including tuition, room and board.
Location: Tufts University, Medford/Somerville, Massachusetts.
Application Deadline: Typically mid-March.
Duration: 2 weeks.
Eligibility: High school students interested in social change and leadership.
Website link: Leadership for Social Change at Tufts University
4. Business Institute at Wake Forest University
The Business Institute is a three-week business course designed to provide high school students with the foundations of business management.
Cost: Approximately $4,500, including tuition, room and board.
Location: Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Application Deadline: Typically late March.
Duration: 3 weeks.
Eligibility: High school students interested in business management.
Official website link: Business Institute at Wake Forest University
5. Notre Dame Leadership Seminars
Notre Dame Leadership Seminars is a 10-day competitive program on the Notre Dame campus for academically gifted students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the community. Approximately 100 students are admitted to the Leadership Seminar each year, and students are eligible to receive a transferable college credit upon completion of the course, which is designed to develop students' leadership and critical thinking skills.
Cost: Free, room and board provided.
Location: University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana.
Application Deadline: Usually in late January.
Duration: 2 weeks.
Eligibility: High school students (usually sophomores or juniors) with excellent academic performance and leadership potential.
Official website link: Notre Dame Leadership Seminars
6. Brown Leadership Institute
Brown Leadership Institute is a two-week leadership program offered by Brown University, which aims to cultivate students' leadership and social responsibility. The program has different themes: Educational Equity Leadership, Conflict Transformation: Leadership in a Divided World, Leadership and Social Change, Leadership, Law and Social Movements, Leadership and Change in Sports, Women and Leadership, etc. 15-course topics. Students will choose different topics to study according to their interests.
Cost: About $4,500, including tuition, accommodation and meals.
Location: Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
Application Deadline: Usually in mid-March.
Duration: 2 weeks.
Eligibility: High school students with an interest in leadership and social justice.
Official website link: Brown Leadership Institute
7. Young Global Scholars Program
YYGS is one of the most globally diverse two-week summer academic programs in the world. YYGS serves more than 2,000 students from more than 150 countries and all 50 states, providing more than $3 million in need-based financial aid to domestic and international students. The program is highly collaborative, exposing participants to innovative topics while promoting discussions with an international perspective. Students have the opportunity to participate in STEM, social science, humanities, or interdisciplinary courses.
Cost: Approximately $6,500, including tuition, housing, and dining.
Location: Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Application Deadline: Typically late January.
Duration: 3 weeks.
Eligibility: High school students with an interest in international affairs and leadership.
Website Link: Young Global Scholars Program
8. The Management & Technology Summer Institute
M&TSI is an extremely rigorous, non-stop, fast-paced college course that introduces students to the essential knowledge and skills needed to successfully connect technology and management concepts in just three weeks.
Highlights of M&TSI include:
- Courses taught by full-time faculty from Wharton and Penn Engineering
- Attendees learn about Penn’s business and engineering programs and listen to guest lectures from renowned faculty in the field
- Students build and present prototypes and go-to-market plans for their high-tech businesses
- Project presentations are evaluated by Penn faculty and receive feedback from experienced entrepreneurs and investors
- Students participate in simulations led by industry innovators such as Google
- Participants who complete the course will receive full course credit from Penn
Cost: Approximately $7,500, including tuition, room and board.
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Application Deadline: March 31, 2025
Duration: 3 weeks.
Eligibility: High school students with an interest in management and technology.
Official website link: The Management & Technology Summer Institute
9. Brown Environmental Leadership Lab
BELL combines concepts from environmental studies, ecology, and leadership to develop socially responsible leaders. At BELL, students will embark on a journey of learning and reflection while building a community with fellow environmentalists in the program. Students can choose the location they want to explore: Alaska, Eastern Sierra, and Rhode Island. Different locations can have different experiences. For example, if you choose Alaska, you can experience two wonderful weeks in the Land of the Midnight Sun. You will explore the history and cultural protection of Alaska Natives and the Arctic, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems. You will investigate the impact of climate change on culture, economy, and environment while learning about socially responsible leadership. There is an opportunity to learn about the history of Alaska from the perspective of Alaska Natives. Visit the Anchorage Museum, the Alaska Native Cultural Heritage Center, and the Matanuska Glacier to learn about Alaska's important cultural and ecological history.
Cost: Approximately $4,500, including tuition, accommodation and meals.
Location: Brown University, Providence, RI.
Application Deadline: Typically mid-March.
Duration: 2 weeks.
Eligibility: High school student with an interest in environmental protection and leadership.
Website link: Brown Environmental Leadership Lab
10. Nextgen Leadership Institute at Barnard College
The Nextgen Lead ship Institute is for curious and passionate high school students to explore complex topics and leadership through a feminist lens. As a student at the Nextgen Leadership Institute, you will take courses in one of four tracks - STEM, Writing and Literature, Global Humanities, or Arts, Sports, and Performance. With the support of the Athena Leadership Center at Barnard College, students will learn about real-life leadership while developing their leadership skills. Participants will explore New York City with their classmates and program leaders.
Cost: Approximately $3,500, including tuition, housing, and meals.
Location: Barnard College, New York, NY.
Application Deadline: Typically early April.
Duration: 1 week.
Eligibility: High school girls interested in leadership.
Website link: Young Women's Leadership Institute at Barnard College
Another option-Embark Exploration Program
If the geographical location of these summer schools does not suit your actual situation, then you can consider online scientific research, which can also improve your competitiveness in university applications. The Embark Exploration Program is worth exploring. This educational institution provides customized research training for young people, with a core team of master's and doctoral graduates from prestigious American universities. The program offers online short courses led by top-tier mentors, allowing you to collaborate with like-minded peers.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more, feel free to contact us. We are happy to assist you and explore possible collaboration opportunities.
