15 Summer Programs at Brown University for High Schoolers

Founded in 1764, Brown University has a rich history of academic excellence and innovation across multiple fields of study. Attending a summer program at Brown provides high schoolers with the valuable opportunity to learn at a renowned Ivy League institution.

Want to learn what Brown University will actually cost you based on your income? And how long your application to the school should take? Here’s what every student considering Brown University needs to know.

Why Should Your Student Attend a Summer Program?

Summer programs are a great way for students to gain a deeper understanding of their favorite subjects in a more hands-on environment. Spending a summer academically engaged on a college campus can help prepare your student for learning beyond high school. Additionally, involvement in summer programs demonstrates your student’s drive and passion for a particular area of study—which is always a plus in the realm of college admissions!

3 Summer Programs at Brown University For High Schoolers

1. Brown Summer High School

This is a three-week daytime enrichment program for Providence-area high school students. The immersive learning experience offers subject areas of English, math, history and science.  

• Program Cost:
  • $30 non-refundable registration fee to be sent in with application
  • $180 tuition fee due on or before the first day of class
• Eligibility: Providence-area students entering the 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grade.
• Application Deadline: last year’s deadline was June 15; information for 2019 has yet to be released.
• Required Essay: There is no application essay.

Summer@Brown

Students can select from 200 non-credit courses in a variety of subject areas, providing high schoolers a glimpse into the depth and breadth of classes available to Brown undergraduates.

• Eligibility: Unless otherwise noted, students completing grades 9-12 by June 2019 may participate
• Application Fees and Deadlines:
  • Before March 1, 2019: $50
  • March 1, 2019-April 29, 2019: $75
  • April 30, 2019 and after: $100

Required Essay: In a thoughtful essay that’s 250-500 words long, please tell us why you’re interested in one or more of these areas of study, what contributions you will make in and outside of the classroom, and any additional information you want to convey. Your essay should demonstrate your writing ability, and help us get a better sense of you as an individual and member of a learning community.

Here are a few of the 2019 course offerings for Summer@Brown:

2. Brown Pre-College | Dyin’ Dixie? Literature and Culture of the Southern U.S.

Through literature and art, this two week course aims to contextualize the historical and modern day narratives surrounding the American South. Ultimately, students will walk away with a rich and nuanced socio-cultural understanding of the region.

• Program Cost:
  • Residential Students (includes room and board): $4,302
  • Commuter Students: $3,106

3. Brown Pre-College | Race, Gender & Horror: Reading Psychoanalysis in American Film and Fiction

During this one-week course, students will psychoanalyze horror films through the lens of race and gender. Students will learn to critically examine how media representation shapes and reinforces our understanding and biases of “othered” bodies.  

• Program Cost:
  • Residential Students (includes room and board): $2,776
  • Commuter Students: $2,178

4. Brown Pre-College | Ancient Greek Theater Production

This two-week course explores defining characteristic of ancient Greek theater such as the amphitheater, its ancient festival context, and the notion of tragedy vs. comedy. Through daily self-produced short videos and persuasive written responses, students will directly engage with and interpret the traditions of ancient Greek theater.

• Program Cost:
  • Residential Students (includes room and board): $4,302
  • Commuter Students: $3,106

5. Brown Pre-College | Medical Diagnostics: Observation, Interpretation, the Art of Being a Better MD

During this three-week course, students explore the field of medical humanities. They learn about the important role that qualitative skills, such observation and interpretation, play in medicine. Through interactive learning, engaging field trips, and articles by and about physicians, students will ultimately gain a more nuanced understanding of what it means to be a doctor.

• Program Cost:
  • Residential Students (includes room and board): $6,124
  • Commuter Students: $4,330
• Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors

6. Brown Pre-College | Fiction for Social Change: Building a Shared Analysis of Justice and Community

Grounded by the science fiction fantasy novel Binti, this course aims to interrogate themes of home, violence, power and privilege. Over the span of two weeks, students will learn to think critically about social change and justice in the context of fiction and real life.

• Program Cost:
  • Residential Students (includes room and board): $4,302
  • Commuter Students: $3,106

7. Brown Pre-College | Thinking Globally: Colonialism and the Making of the Modern World

This two-week course aims to help students redefine their understanding of local and global identities within the context of colonialism. Through discussion-based learning and local mini-research projects in Providence, students will learn how to critically analyze the socio-political realities of colonialism.

• Program Cost:
  • Residential Students (includes room and board): $4,302
  • Commuter Students: $3,106

8. Brown Pre-College | Writing Flash Fiction

During this creative summer course, students will hone their critical reading and writing skills through flash fiction—micro stories that “say more by saying less.” Over the course of two weeks, students will write and workshop flash fiction pieces while reading a variety of modern authors along the way.

• Program Cost:
  • Residential Students (includes room and board): $4,302
  • Commuter Students: $3,106

9. Brown Pre-College | Narratives of Revolution and (post) Colonialism: Race, Gender, and Human Rights

The objective of this three-week course is to introduce students to post-colonial narratives in literature and film. Though group discussion and essays, students develop a deeper understanding of race, gender, and human rights.

• Program Cost:
  • Residential Students (includes room and board): $6,124
  • Commuter Students: $4,330

10. Brown Pre-College | Literature, Culture, and American Identities

This two-week course explores the notion of the American identity through literature and culture—spanning multiple genres, historical periods and cultural forms. Ultimately, students will gain a greater understanding of how cultural identity informs lived experience.

• Program Cost:
  • Residential Students (includes room and board): $4,302
  • Commuter Students: $3,106
    

The Brown Leadership Institute

This program aims to equip students with the tools necessary to enact change within our ever-evolving society. The three key values addressed are: the study of a compelling academic topic, exploration of socially responsible leadership, and development of a meaningful action plan.

• Program cost: $4,508
• Eligibility: unless otherwise noted, students completing grades 9-12 (ages 15-18 by June 2019) are eligible
• Application Fees and Deadlines:
  • Before March 1, 2019: $50
  • March 1, 2019-April 29, 2019: $75
  • April 30, 2019 and after: $100

For the required essay, be prepared to let The Brown Leadership Institute know:

• What you hope to learn in the program to which you are applying and why that program is of interest to you
• What areas of study you are interested in
• What contributions you hope to make in and outside of the classroom
• Any additional information you’d like to convey

Here are a few of the courses offered by the Brown Leadership Institute this year:

11. Brown Leadership Institute | Law and Social Change

Through a case study of various 20th and 21st century social movements, this course aims to examine tools of social change that have been used in the context of law. At the end of the course, every student will create an Action Plan that applies their learned knowledge to their own local community.

12. Brown Leadership Institute | Leadership for Immigration and Refugee Policy

Students will explore the history of immigration, deportation, and refugee policies enacted in response to past humanitarian crises. Through group discussion and essays, they will also dive deep into the sociopolitical analysis of how power informs policy.

13. Brown Leadership Institute | Leadership and Global Health

In this two-week program, students will investigate how historical, social, political, and economic factors affect the health outcomes of local and global communities. This is a great course for students interested in related fields such as public health research, medicine, law and economics.

14. Brown Leadership Institute | Leadership and the Future of Science, Technology, and Medicine

Over the course of two weeks, students will learn about the emerging topics of epigenetics, tissue engineering, cloning, genetic engineering, stem cell research, medical devices, and robotics. Ultimately, through discussions of both ethics and innovation, this class aims to inspire a new generation of socially-responsible scientists and physicians.

• Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors

15. Brown Leadership Institute | Leadership and Conflict Resolution

This two-week course probes deeper into the concept of conflict at the interpersonal, inter-group, and international levels, with an emphasis on nonviolent strategies for resolving instances of contention. For their final projects, students will develop an Action Plan that directly applies their learning to their local community.

How Can You Help Your Student Find Summer Programs?

If your high schooler needs help finding summer programs that align with their interests and long-term goals, consider reaching out to teachers and guidance counselors for insight. These educators often have access to resources and connections that you might not otherwise discover.

For more pre-college programs at Brown for high school students, visit Brown’s Pre-College page.

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