This is an archive. See the current website at www.ssp.harvard.edu.
Help/FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Application and Admission
- Who is eligible to apply to the Harvard Summer Secondary School Program?
- May recommendations from more than one teacher be submitted?
- Is there a class at Harvard on preparing for the SAT?
- Will attending the Secondary School Program guarantee admission to Harvard?
- Is financial aid available?
- Are you able to waive the $50 application fee for students in need of financial aid?
- May homeschooled students apply?
- I haven't taken the PSAT, the ACT, or the SAT yet. May I still apply?
Academics
- Are any 4-week courses available, or are all the courses 8 weeks long?
- Are there any science research opportunities in the Summer School?
- My high school begins in August before the end of the exam period. May I leave Harvard early to start the fall term back home?
Transcripts and Transfer Credit
- I attended the SSP last summer and am now applying to colleges. How can I have a transcript sent to the colleges I'm applying to?
- I'm in college now and want to transfer the Harvard credits I earned while I was an SSP student. How can I do this?
Campus Life
- May we choose our roommates?
- May we know our roommates' names and home addresses before Summer School begins?
Privacy
- How do you protect my personal information?
- Will you give my e-mail address to a third party?
- What about "cookies"?
For More Information
Application and Admission
Who is eligible to apply to the Harvard Summer Secondary School Program?
Current high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (students age 15-18) may apply.
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May recommendations from more than one teacher be submitted?
Yes. The application asks for recommendations from one teacher and one counselor or school head. If you wish to submit additional teacher recommendations, you may.
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Is there a class at Harvard on preparing for the SAT?
Although there is no course specifically geared to the SAT, SSP students may choose to enroll in Harvard's noncredit course, Reading and Study Strategies. This popular and traditional course includes instruction on strategies for taking several kinds of tests, as well as guidance on many other topics (such as time management and in-class notes) designed to enable students to perform better both in college and in high school.
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Will attending the Secondary School Program guarantee admission to Harvard?
No, there is no relation between admission to the Harvard Summer Secondary School Program and admission to the freshman class of Harvard College. However, attending Harvard Summer School and performing well will strengthen your application to any college or university. Additionally, the Secondary School Program offers many opportunities designed to help students navigate the college-application process, gain admission to the college of their choice, and enhance their performance once enrolled in college.
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Yes, limited financial aid is available to US citizens and permanent residents. See Financial Aid for instructions on how to apply for financial aid.
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Are you able to waive the $50 application fee for students in need of financial aid?
Unfortunately, we cannot waive the application fee.
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May homeschooled students apply?
Yes. Homeschooled students should consult with the SSP director to determine who should submit the required recommendations.
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I haven't taken the PSAT, the ACT, or the SAT yet. May I still apply?
Yes.
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Academics
Are any 4-week courses available, or are all the courses 8 weeks long?
SSP students take regular Harvard Summer School classes, which meet for seven weeks, with final exams scheduled during the eighth week. There are no shorter courses for SSP students.
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Are there any science research opportunities in the Summer School?
The new Summer Seminars offer research opportunities. Also there are laboratory science courses offered that will give students the necessary backgrounds to do research later.
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Students may leave campus immediately after their last exam. In exceptional cases, students who cannot be in Cambridge at the time of a final examination may petition to take the exam in absentia. Such requests are handled through Academic Services, (617) 495-0977.
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Transcripts and Transfer Credit
Order a transcript for each college to which you would like one sent. Transcript request forms may be downloaded from this website. (To download PDFs students must have Adobe's Acrobat Reader installed on their computers.)
You will need to check with the registrar's office at your college or university. That office will almost certainly ask you to provide them with an official Harvard transcript.
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Campus Life
No. We try to make the SSP experience as much like a first-year college experience as possible, and part of that experience is learning to live with new people.
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May we know our roommates' names and home addresses before Summer School begins?
No, because housing assignments are being made and changed right up until the time students arrive at Harvard.
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Privacy
How do you protect my personal information?
When you browse or enter information on our website, we store that information on a different system apart from where our website resides. Furthermore, all of the personal data we collect is protected against unauthorized access.
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Will you give my e-mail address to a third party?
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to others. In addition, any e-mail sent to you by the Division of Continuing Education will be directly related to the Division.
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"Cookies" are small pieces of information that are stored by your browser on your computer's hard drive. Our cookies do not contain any personally identifying information.
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For More Information
Additional questions? Contact the SSP Office.
Call the SSP Office at (617) 495-3192 or send us an e-mail. Our e-mail address is ssp@hudce.harvard.edu.
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