NYT Summer Academy
“Our NYC Summer Academy gives intellectually curious high school students the opportunity to live and learn in New York City while studying topics in journalism, media, technology, arts, culture, sports, fashion, business, science and more. Each two-week course draws on the expertise and unrivaled access of The New York Times and encourages students to take their learning beyond the classroom and into the real world.”
Choose from a variety of interest courses, including:
Writing the Big City (in which you will learn to think like a reporter, conduct interviews and create informative and persuasive content)
The City as Muse (in which you explore how writers and artists have been inspired by New York)
A Million Lives in the Law (get an inside look at the real practice of law)
DIY Filmmaking (experience an intensive immersion into filmmaking)
Inside the UN (in which you will visit the UN and meet officials and other employees of this international body)
Sports Management (learn the business of sports firsthand from professionals including former athletes, agents and more)
How long will this take? Most of the courses are two weeks, and all are based in New York City.
How do I get started? Go to their website and get started.
How do I expand this narrative arc? Check out some of the many other publications and competitions we have found for you.
If you are writing non-fiction, you should be submitting it to one of the many competitions and journals aimed at teens such as the Curieux Academic Journal.
The New York Times runs many student competitions through the year for all different types of writing. Consider submitting an entry.
Get involved in your school newspaper in a leadership role.
HOT TIP: The content of these programs looks interesting, and they could be a nice complement to a pre-existing interest. See below for more information about summer programs in general.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SUMMER PROGRAMS: College admissions officers are very adept at identifying “resume padders”: expensive, one-off programs paid for by your parents which do not mesh with your narrative arc. Therefore, make sure any summer program or course you consider falls into one (or more) of these four buckets:
Highly selective/competitive
Totally unique + linked to your narrative arc
Evidence of adulthood (long hours, multi-year commitment or simply hard work)
A jumping off point or expansion for an authentic narrative arc.
If none of the above apply, a program could still have value to you if it allows you to test a potential interest. However, if it does not end up being a jumping off point for further interests, then you may not want to mention it in your high school resume