10 Summer Programs in New Mexico for High Schoolers
What’s Covered:
There are a lot of ways to spend your time this summer. Without the constraints of a constant high school class schedule, numerous extracurriculars, and other commitments, you’re free to pursue volunteering at a program you’re passionate about, work a summer job, or even take some summer classes. If you’re looking to get a taste of life on a college campus, a summer program—also called a pre-college program—is another great option.
10 Summer Programs in New Mexico
1. Summer Science Program: Astrophysics
The Summer Science Program (SSP) is one of the longest-running pre-college programs in the country, having been founded in 1959. It provides an immersive experience with hands-on research over the course of its 39-day residential program. It aims to challenge and inspire talented and motivated high school students through three different program offerings in astrophysics, one of which is available at New Mexico Tech.
Affiliate Organization: New Mexico Tech
Grades: 10th and 11th graders
Dates: June 19 – July 27
Cost: $7,950
Deadline: 2/25/22
Additional Requirements:
- 10th graders should have completed calculus and physics
- 11th graders should have completed calculus or physics
2. Summer STE²M Experience
Get a glimpse at college life and explore science and engineering disciplines at this awesome summer program. Participants in this week-long course have the chance to explore a variety of fields—ranging from digital media to mechanical engineering—through lectures, labs, field trips, and collaborative projects. This summer program delivers a residential experience, with students living and learning at New Mexico Tech’s green, shady, flower-filled campus.
Affiliate Organization: New Mexico Tech
Grades: 10th and 11th graders
Dates: June 13-17, July 11-15
Cost: $525
Deadline: N/A
Additional Requirements: Minimum 2.75 GPA and have completed Algebra 1
3. Engineering Summer Academy
Students from populations that are historically underrepresented and underserved in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers are encouraged to apply to this summer program. Participants will take part in a variety of activities focused on engineering and computer science. They will also have the opportunity to meet with current STEM students, faculty, and professionals.
Affiliate Organization: University of New Mexico
Grades: 9th, 10th, and 11th graders
Dates: June 6- July 1
Cost: Free
Deadline: 3/31/22
Additional Requirements: Transcript, letter of recommendation, and a personal statement
4. Architecture + Design Summer Academy
This two-week course introduces high school juniors and seniors to the disciplines in which the University of New Mexico (UNM) School of Architecture + Planning offers degrees and certificates. Sessions are held both at UNM’s Albuquerque campus as well as at the New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe. The curriculum consists of numerous design activities, lectures, and field trips, including a Rail Runner excursion that exposes participants to the contrasting urban design in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
Affiliate Organization: University of New Mexico
Grades: 11th and 12th graders
Dates: July 18-22 & July 25-29
Cost: $300
Deadline: N/A
5. Beginnings: Inquiring into the Origins of Politics, Poetry, and Mathematics
St. John’s College hosts this week-long summer program exploring the origins of human society, language, and knowledge. Participants dive into classic works like Herodotus’ Histories, The Bible, Plutarch’s Lives, and Euclid’s Elements to better understand how they have shaped our experience of the world while honing their reading, critical thinking, and discussions skills.
Affiliate Organization: St. John’s College
Ages: 15-18
Dates: July 10-16
Cost: $1,200
Deadline: 5/7/22
Additional Requirements: Transcript and a personal statement
6. The American Experiment: Foundations of Democracy
Participants in this fascinating week-long summer program will learn about democracy and the questions it poses about relationships between justice and wisdom, freedom and liberty, and commercialism and individualism. Students will get a glimpse of St. John’s discussion-based, interdisciplinary method of teaching great books while reading classics like Plutarch’s Lives, Aristotle’s Politics, Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, and Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, along with the U.S. Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, The Federalist Papers, and speeches by Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr.
Affiliate Organization: St. John’s College
Ages: 15-18
Dates: July 17-23
Cost: $1,200
Deadline: 5/7/22
Additional Requirements: Transcript and a personal statement
7. The Art of Seeing: Literature and the Visual Arts
Get a sneak peek at college life and what it’s like to live and learn at St. John’s College in this great summer program. Over the course of a week, students will learn rational ways to understand perception from the teachings of Leonardo da Vinci and explore perspectives and self-deception while reading Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Affiliate Organization: St. John’s College
Ages: 15-18
Dates: July 24-30
Cost: $1,200
Deadline: 5/7/22
Additional Requirements: Transcript and personal statement
8. Young Women in Computing (YWiC)
The intent of this two-week summer program is to increase the interest of female students in computing. Led by New Mexico State University computer science students, participants will explore computational thinking through a variety of interactive software while discovering that computer science is a fun, engaging, and rewarding field. Students receive a $200 stipend at the completion of the program.
Affiliate Organization: New Mexico State University
Grades: 9th-12th
Dates: July 4-15
Cost: Free
Deadline: N/A
Additional Requirements: Self-identify as female, genderqueer, or non-binary
9. Youth Entrepreneurship Summer (YES) Camp
Business-minded high schoolers will want to check out this summer program that’ll help them gain a better understanding of the role free enterprise and entrepreneurship play in achieving economic growth, community prosperity, and individual success. Participants will sit for 40 hours of classroom instruction and take part in a 35-hour field-based practicum. Students can earn three college credits for completing the program.
Affiliate Organization: New Mexico State University
Grades: 9th-12th
Dates: Summer 2022
Cost: N/A
Deadline: N/A
10. Summer Physics Camp for Young Women
This two-week camp provides high school females with the opportunity to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) while learning about the physics of the sun, Earth, and everything in between. Students can expect to take part in a variety of activities, talks, virtual tours, and hands-on projects over the course of the program. Students will leave the problem not just with a better understanding of STEM, but also real-world skills like how to write a resume and successfully interview for a job.
Affiliate Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Grades: 9th-12th
Dates: June 6-17
Cost: Free
Deadline: N/A
Additional Requirements:
- Young women living in northern NM, central NM, and/or NM tribal communities
- Completion of Algebra I or high-level math course
- Letter of recommendation
How do Summer Programs Impact Your College Chances?
The value of attending a summer program varies and everything from the selectivity of the program to the weight that a particular college places on extracurriculars, such as summer programs, will determine how much value a school gives it.
The four tiers of extracurricular activities provide a good guideline for understanding how activities outside of the classroom affect your odds of admission. Tier-one and tier-two activities are the rarest, most prestigious, and most influential to colleges; consequently, they have the greatest impact on your chances of admission.
Colleges place less value on tier-three and -four activities, which are less selective and more common than their higher-tiered counterparts. That said, attending a lower-tiered activity still has value—it shows you’re passionate about a subject and motivated to pursue the things that interest you.
Curious about the effect extracurricular activities have on your chances of college admission? CollegeVine can help! Our free chancing calculator uses a variety of factors including grades, test scores, and extracurriculars to estimate your odds of getting into hundreds of colleges and universities while also providing insight into how to improve your profile.
