(See also Get Involved with Government for summer programs with the Senate and State Department.)
Summer programs are amazing and there are lots of options for rural kids. IT IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL TO GET OUT THERE AND EXPERIENCE COLLEGE/CITY LIFE. It is super hard to imagine college when you live in a rural area, and summer programs are a great way you can dip your toes in. Read more below.
Internships are very hit-or-miss, like real life, which is actually part of what makes them valuable. I have actually learned as much from what did NOT work in my internship (loads) and what did (some). Get out there and give things a try. Read more below.
Academic research: This is more for science-y types, but it’s a real thing. I had literally no idea, but for those interested, here’s a super awesome 15-minute explanation from the incomparable Pratik Vangal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRlTyX25m7w. Bonus points if you can get a professor to mentor or be involved.
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1) Summer Programs and Fly-Ins
The Small Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network is a fantastic new-ish organization dedicated to supporting rural students in their college search. There are virtual events, summer camps (applications due Jan-March), even a virtual college fair. (Learn more at starscollegenetwork.org.) They have fostered a ton of summer and fly-on programs.
Here are some of the best I know about:
- UChicago Emerging Rural Leaders (I did this one!) 9th-11th options, 1 week, free-paid on a sliding scale. Absolutely the best rural-specific summer program in the country. Really good financial aid, and the whole point is to give rural students access to college-level classes and resources. I got to live in a dorm and actually experience a real college class, dining hall, how to navigate, etc. And I met tons of ambitious rural kids just like me, friends I still have today. THIS WILL MAKE YOUR WHOLE COLLEGE PROCESS 1000x EASIER. You will actually learn what you like and care about in a college, as you probably will with most of these, but I know for a fact that ERL is awesome. This is definitely worth applying to, and the program is amazing. Applications due early March.
- Yale Young Global Scholars 10th-11th, 2 weeks, expensive but gives need-based aid. This is a very prestigious and high-level program, lots of excellent people do it. I can’t speak to it as specifically as I didn’t do it, but I am sure it offers many of the benefits listed in ERL as it is a similar program (stay in dorms, attend lectures, etc). They offer strong financial aid, and this is a great option, but it is not specifically for rural students which is less beneficial for us.
- MITES Summer (MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science) 11th, 6 weeks, on-site, 100% free This is an amazing opportunity for STEM kids, transformative, highly recommended. Not specifically for rural kids. App open in November and closes early February.
- Fly-in programs are another AWESOME way to dip your toes into college/city life, and many of them are FREE. Like 0 dollars. Places like Columbia, Brown, and MIT have specific programs for rural students (Google STARS College Network fly-ins) which are AMAZING. Fully free, the colleges will fly you (+ parent) out, give you a hotel, and you get to check out the college + city. Incredible programs, can be competitive though. Places like WashU, Cornell, Carleton, Grinnell, and Colorado College have fly-ins that are for first gen and low income students, but not specifically rural students. These aren’t always heavily advertised, so it’s good to check their admissions sites (or the STARS website) in the winter/spring. There are also more, so if you are interested in a program just Google “[college name] fly in.”
2) Internships
Finding internships can be challenging in sparsely populated areas but the key is to get out there and ask. Make your own opportunities. Interested in law? Call local law offices. Business? Post on the local Facebook group that you’re volunteering time to help small businesses. If a parent went to college, have them post in their alma mater’s alumni Facebook group — that is where I found my internship at an AI cybersecurity start up. (Start-ups are always looking for free help.) The two mindset shift are 1) From looking for ready-made existing opportunities, to creating opportunities by offering your time/talent/enthusiasm out in this world and 2) From looking for the perfect, shiny internship to giving almost anything someone will offer a try. You can learn something from anything!
People like a scrappy, smart kid! If you want to get some experience in the real world, go out there and get it.