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"My 14 year old enjoyed interacting with teens from all over the country, while learning about what awaits him in college and how Cornell may fit into those plans."
— Tom Benton ’82, Gaithersburg, Maryland

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CAU Summer Youth & Teen Programs

Teens

Ages thirteen to sixteen (entering grades eight, nine, and ten)

Young teens and well-trained CAU counselors have their own residential headquarters where they can experience dorm life, house rules, and a coming-of-age independence (carefully supervised!) on Cornell’s freshman campus. After breakfast in Appel Commons, teens participate in a daily three-hour enrichment program of their choice for the week, each coordinated by a Cornell student mentor. No experience is necessary, just an active curiosity! (Be sure to select one choice and one alternate for the week.) Afternoons and evenings are devoted to teen-friendly meals, special-interest workshops, field trips on and off campus, and recreational activities (swimming, bowling, hiking, volleyball, and music/dance jam sessions). A very special week exploring Cornell, meeting new friends, and discovering interests and skills, all in a well-supervised, encouraging, and responsive environment, make this a vacation-of-a-lifetime for CAU teens!

Teens whose parents or guardians are not on campus or in Ithaca are welcome to attend unaccompanied, for one or more weeks. If teens stay in residence over a weekend, an additional fee of $230 per youngster is charged to cover the cost of weekend supervision and dorm accommodations. Weekend meals must be paid out-of-pocket.

Courses for Teens

Art Studio

If you are up to the challenge, drawing, painting, and collage-work are lifelong processes of discovery. Translating ideas, impressions, and subjects to paper sharpens observation skills and nurtures creativity and imagination. This course will feature a different hands-on project every day, coupled with visits to local galleries and studios on and off campus. Not for artists only, this program will include nature treks, photography, and plenty of instructional fun.

Outdoor Teen Adventures

This course will feature rigorous physical challenges for the novice and experienced climber alike, superbly supervised by instructors from Cornell Outdoor Education (COE). The program will include teen-level ground games, Hoffman Challenge Course elements, and ascents on COE’s West Campus Climbing Wall. You’ll also complete a Tyrolean traverse across the Beebe Lake Gorge. For teens who enjoy non-competitive but highly physical activity, this is a good recreational opportunity in a safe but exciting learning environment. Equipment and facilities fee: $130.

Sailing on Cayuga

A complete introduction to sailing and tying knots, with lectures, demonstrations, and practice on Cayuga Lake, taught by certified instructors and supervised by Cornell’s superb Department of Athletics and Physical Education. You must know how to swim and be prepared to fall in and tread water, rain or shine. Equipment and facilities fee: $130.

Science Sampler

Engineering, materials science, chemistry, and astronomy: each offers hundreds of problems, solutions, concepts, and keys to advances in theory and applied science. Visiting scientific labs across campus, you’ll conduct simple experiments, experience virtual environments through multimedia presentations, and be introduced to students and faculty whose research and enthusiasm have made Cornell a world-class environment for science study and project design. Equipment and facilities fee: $50.

Writers’ Circle

From hip-hop to Shakespeare, poetry to prose, personal narrative to fiction, if you love to write, this course will take you through a wide range of experiencing and experimenting with language, thought, and feelings. You’ll develop a sharper eye and ear for what makes or breaks a poem, essay, or story. Discover how your writing works and what makes it powerful!