Take charge of your future through the "Career Explorations Program"

If you're a high school student interested in seriously exploring a career or brushing up on the skills you will need in college, you're invited to apply for this program offered by Cornell University's Summer College. This program may be of particular interest to you if you are working with a Cornell faculty member on a research project or involved in some other activity on campus.

The "Career Explorations Program," which meets at various times throughout the week, gives talented high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to delve into one of the following career fields or academic paths:

• Biological Research and the Health Professions (June 21 - July 31)
• CollegeSuccess: Critical Reading and Thinking (offered for two credits) (June 21 - August 2)
• Engineering (offered for one credit) (June 21 - July 31)
• Veterinary Medicine (July 13 - August 2)

Cornell faculty members and experienced professionals lead these classes, which may include guest speakers, field trips, hands-on projects, and discussion sessions. For example, depending upon which class you select, you might conduct laboratory experiments, build experimental machines, or work with animals. Throughout the program, instructors offer substantive advice about career and academic paths and talk about both the satisfactions and challenges of their chosen careers.

After attending, many students find they are more able to identify a niche that best combines their interests and talents, and to focus their academic and career ambitions more effectively.

You are invited to live on campus (or at home if you are a local student) and to take part in the many extracurricular activities offered through Summer College's residential program. Activities may include athletic events and intramural sports, weekend dances, a casino night, a free movie series, free concerts, political debates, a talent show, culture nights, coffeehouses, and much more.

Program charges

Apply

To apply, please follow these steps:

1. Read "Important Information for All Applicants"
2. Complete the application form, available here as a PDF document, or you may contact our office for a copy.

   On this form we ask that you provide us with a legible, current e-mail address that you check frequently. E-mail is our primary tool for communicating with you, and we use it to request missing application materials, to verify information, to give you special instructions, and more. Please carefully type or print your e-mail address on the application form, being certain that we can understand your characters (for example, be sure to distinguish between a lowercase “L,” the letter “I,” and the number “1,” and between the letter “O” and the number zero, “Ø”). Please also be sure to include “cornell.edu” in your address book and/or remove any spam blockers that might prevent our e-mail from reaching you.

3. Attach a statement telling us which class you would like to attend and why. What do you hope to gain from this program? If you are not a commuting student, you must describe what you will be doing during the day when you are not involved in the activities of your class. Your statement should not exceed 250 words.
4. Submit the completed application and statement with a $50 nonrefundable application fee by the application deadline (May 2) to:

   Career Explorations Program
   Cornell University Summer College
   P.O. Box 6674
   Ithaca, NY 14851-6674

   For information about the application fee, program charge deadline, and acceptable payment methods, be sure to visit the following Web pages:

   • Application fee
   • Total program charge deadline
   • Payment methods

   Unfortunately, students participating in this program are not eligible for financial aid or fee waivers.

For more information about this program, contact our director, Abby Eller, and let her know you are interested in the "Career Explorations Program."