10 Winter Camps For High School Students
Summer is typically when high school students focus heavily on resume building to help them stand out when applying to colleges. They might attend summer programs, do intensive volunteer projects, or work on a passion project. However, students might be missing out on a key time to work on resume building: winter break. With many students having two to three weeks off of school, this is a prime opportunity for students to do something productive. By attending a winter break camp, students can get a jump start on gaining hands-on experience in their desired field of study. That way, they can continue building on their experiences and making themselves more competitive for top summer programs.
Winter camps typically have far fewer options compared to summer camps, however, there are still quite a few opportunities for students to take advantage of. Better yet, many of the camps are virtual, so students can still travel for the holidays or juggle a few weeks of overlap with their school classes. Here is a list of 10 winter camps for high school students from our Forbes article.
Ten Winter Camps For High School Students
Georgetown University: Medicine: An Inside Look at Treating Patients
Location: Virtual
Dates: 12/17 – 12/31, 1/7 – 2/4, 1/21 – 2/4
Cost: $1,495 – $1,795
Age requirements: Must be 13+
Deadline: 12/10, 12/31, 1/14
Overview: This program gives students an insight into the patient’s journey, including an overview of the different roles of a healthcare team while exploring various treatment plans.
Rosetta Institute
Location: Virtual; Alameda, CA; Berkeley, CA
Dates: 12/26-12/31
Cost: $570 (virtual) and $1,590 – $1,790 (in-person)
Age requirements: 11-18 years old
Deadline: Rolling
Overview: Rosetta Institute offers two virtual winter options: The Medical Bioinformatics workshop and the Medicinal Chemistry workshops. Two commuter options are also available: Biomedical Research workshop at their facility in Alameda, CA, and Cancer Research at their facility in Berkley, CA. All camps take place between 12/26-12/31.
Rising Researchers
Location: Virtual
Dates: Every Tues/Fri (12/19-1/12), 7:00p – 8:30p ET/4:00p – 5:30p PT
Cost: $3,200
Age requirements: 9-12 graders
Deadline: Rolling admission (space is limited)
Overview: Rising Researchers, a sister company of Moon Prep, offers a 4-week virtual camp. Students will study social determinants of health in cardiovascular disease and learn how public health impacts medicine. Work alongside peers in a small class cohort, under the guidance of a research mentor.
University of California – San Diego: BioImaging & 3D-Printing (BI3DP)
Location: Virtual
Dates: 1/20-3/9
Cost: $2,500
Age requirements: Must currently be in 10-12 grade and at least 14 years of age
Deadline: Rolling
Overview: Students will spend about 4-10 hours per week for the duration of the course. The lecture and discussions will take place on Saturdays, and students will also have between 1-3 hours during the week with the program assistants. During the courses, students will learn hands-on skills related to Biomedical Imaging and 3D Printing. Students will also have a home kit where they can perform exercises, including remote 3D printing of plates and medical models.
University of Rochester: Personalized Medicine: Customizing Care Through Genetics
Location: Virtual
Dates: 12/7-12/31
Cost: $995
Age requirements: Must be 13+
Deadline: 12/10
Overview: During this course, students will learn how genetic code makes everyone unique. They will figure out how traits are passed on and how genetic breakthroughs can change medicine. They will also learn more about how stem cell therapy, gene editing and designing traits can affect treatment and health outcomes. At the end of the course, students will create a capstone project where they will identify a particular disease and discuss how personalized medicine might be used to treat it.
Energy Mag
Location: Virtual
Dates: Varies; length is between 1-9 months, with interns expected to work 8 hours per week
Cost: Free
Age requirements: Sophomores, juniors and seniors only
Deadline: Rolling
Overview: Students will learn how to research and analyze a scientific or business issue. Throughout their internship, students will produce a draft analysis report that will be published on Energy Mag’s website at the end of the program.
Great Books Program – Myths Revisited: Unraveling Ancient Tales in Modern Times
Location: Virtual
Dates: 12/27-12/29 from 1:00p – 5:00p ET
Cost: $450
Age requirements: 9-12 graders
Deadline: Rolling
Overview: Taught by Great Books Academic Director Michael Harrington, Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University in the Department of English. The course covers how narratives continue to influence our lives in the modern era. Students will talk about the myths of Greece and Rome as well as works by Anne Carson, Virgil, Sylvia Plath and more.
Beaver Works Summer Institute
Location: Virtual
Dates: 2/1-6/16
Cost: Free
Age requirements: 9-12 grade
Deadline: Rolling
Overview: Registration for the online courses opens in December 2023. The course topics are still being confirmed, but in the past, they have included Serious Game Development with AI, Cyber Ops and Embedded Security and Hardware Hacking.
Johns Hopkins Center For Talent Youth
Location: Virtual
Dates: Varies
Cost: $695 – $2,130
Age requirements: Varies, classes are available for every grade from 2-12
Deadline: Varies depending on class
Overview: Students can pick from a wide variety of different courses, including Arabic Language, Art Meets Science: Literature, Interdisciplinary STEM Essay Writing, Chess, Introduction to Forensics and Storytelling through Art, Film and Media.
Cornell University – Online Courses
Location: Virtual
Dates: 1/2–19, 2024
Cost: $1,750 per credit
Age requirements: Current high school juniors and seniors, age 15+
Deadline: 12/4
Overview: A wide variety of options are available, including Global Business Strategy, Digital Platforms and Public Engagement, Biomedical Terminology and Change-making: Designing Healthy and Hospitable Environments.