Opportunity Guide I Summer, Enrichment & Activities Guide

Versed Opportunity Guide is a comprehensive pre-college enrichment program listing that details the vast array of US-based academic and extracurricular programs that provides opportunities for students to explore and pursue their interests and passions.  All entries are curated and many are recommended by our Parent Advisors.

The purpose of the guide is to educate parents and students about the best opportunities available at each age and academic level. These programs maximize learning opportunities and allow students to pursue their interests at the highest levels throughout their school years, which may give them an edge when applying to college.

How to use this guide:

The guide lists educational programs, camps, contests, competitions and other activities, both online and onsite, available to students that are categorized by academic and extracurricular interest. Additionally, the platform allows parents and students to search based on age, school year, location, and general search terms.

To begin, start with a broad interest category that pertains to your child and familiarize yourself with the activity path and how children interested in the same areas have successfully engaged in the variety of activities and programs listed in the guide. As you click on narrower categories, you will get a sense for many of the ways that highly engaged students follow their interests to the highest levels. At the same time, feel free to explore adjacent categories to find related areas as interests change and evolve over time.



  1. The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program was established by Congress in October 2002 in response to the events of September 11, 2001. The program is funded through the U.S. Department… Read more
  2. The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers recognizes outstanding young poets and is open to high school sophomores and juniors throughout the world. The contest winner receives a full… Read more
  3. Young Writers is an intensive two-week workshop for intellectually curious, motivated high-school students who value writing. Our goal is to help students develop their creative and critical… Read more
  4. The Mission of the Kids Philosophy Slam is to give kids a voice and to inspire kids to think by unlocking their intellectual and creative potential through a unique and powerful philosophical forum… Read more
  5. The Botball® Educational Robotics Program engages middle and high school aged students in a team-oriented robotics competition, and serves as a perfect way to meet today’s new common core standards.… Read more
  6. The Kopernik Observatory & Science Center (KOSC) is the premier observatory and science center in New York State. Becoming an intern is an important way to gain valuable work experience and help… Read more
  7. KoperniKids (ages 3-6) KKJoin us for the KoperniKids program, a kid-friendly approach to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) exploration designed especially for children 3 to 6 years… Read more
  8. Summer is a great time for children to continue their learning at Kopernik. In our Link Summer STEM Exploration day camps, children in grades 1-12 will be exposed to a variety of topics in Science… Read more
  9. A Summer, Residential Creative Writing Program for High School Students High school students can join a supportive community of young creative writers in our residential summer program on the… Read more
  10. LaunchX gives students the skills and mindset to start real companies. Our programs help students leverage their talents and tenacity to build a viable startup. We’ll train you in the skills and… Read more
  11. This summer, give your child an opportunity to explore, investigate, discover, and invent with a camp at the Lawrence Hall of Science! Our camps offer a range of experiences, from conducting your own… Read more
  12. The Lawrence Hall of Science has a fun and dynamic program for teens. All teens who wish to participate are required to apply to the program in February, and then to volunteer in various roles at the… Read more
  13. The League of Creative Minds (LCM) was created to provide an entry way for high-ability middle school and high school students into public policy, international world affairs, leadership roles,… Read more
  14. The League high school year-round program is meant for our students entering the 9th to 12th grade. The League high school program draws students at the top of their class who are passionate about… Read more
  15. The League middle school year-round program is meant for our youngest students entering the 6th to 8th grade. The League middle school program draws students who are passionate about learning purely… Read more
  16. International field study/international relations camp for rising 8th - 12th grade students. For the 2017 high school field study the League delegates traveled to various regions in Israel and the… Read more
  17. The League summer camp sessions are meant for serious academic students that relish intellectual deliberation and dialogue. Students that enroll in League summer courses are curious about… Read more
  18. Our flagship cultural immersion program brings together youth, ages 14 through 18, from around the world to a summer village in Bedford, VA. Gain the tools to communicate with the intention to… Read more
  19. A collection of official LEGO contests. Anyone can participate by submitting digital photos and videos of their own custom LEGO creations online. Rules of each contest and requirements may vary.… Read more
  20. Letters About Literature is a reading and writing contest for students in grades 4-12. Students are asked to read a book, poem or speech and write to the author (living or dead) about how the book… Read more
  21. Each year, the Lewis Center for the Arts sponsors contests and scholarships for high school students. Past and current contest categories have included poetry and play writing.
  22. Liberty University Theatre Camps (LUTC) program, which includes elementary, KIDS Ignite, and middle school day camps, will start off the summer. These day camps provide local students with an… Read more
  23. Lone Star Leadership Academies are Sunday-Friday overnight camps offered throughout the summer for outstanding 4th-8th graders. Campers have the opportunity to explore significant sites in Texas’… Read more
  24. The High School Internship Program (HS) provides qualified northern New Mexico high school seniors the opportunity to develop skills and gain work experience, while receiving exposure to a variety of… Read more
  25. In 2005, Classical archaeologists Regan & Amy Barr founded The Lukeion Project. Now with a much larger teaching faculty, we offer 6 years of Classical Latin & 7 years of Greek, Classical… Read more
  26. Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI) is an independent research institute and one of the largest institutes in the nation that focuses on reproductive biology, women’s health, and infants’ health.… Read more
  27. The first step to creative freedom. The residential Pre-College program provides high school students with the skills to embark on a rigorous study of the arts. Students customize their individual… Read more
  28. Maine Media Workshops + College is recognized as one of the world’s leading media arts education centers for filmmaking, photography, writing, and book arts & design. Our MFA program was recently… Read more
  29. The Maine Space Grant Consortium (MSGC)'s mission is to: Improve its Affiliates research infrastructure in areas of mutual interest to NASA and the state of Maine; Encourage more students to consider… Read more
  30. Hk Maker Lab is committed to providing engaging and meaningful engineering design experiences to New York City high school students. The Hk Maker Lab summer program brings together 24 students from… Read more
  31. The Mandelbrot Competition takes place in five rounds spaced throughout the school year. Each round consists of seven short-answer questions valued by difficulty at one, two, or three points. The… Read more
  32. MSM’s Precollege program gives talented students professional instruction and multiple performing opportunities in a supportive environment — and collaborative time spent with like-minded peers, many… Read more
  33. Mannes Prep combines a warm and supportive atmosphere with thorough pre-professional training. Our continuing personal interest in the musical growth of each student is central to the spirit of… Read more
  34. The Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center is a national partnership of organizations working to improve marine technical education and in this way help to prepare America’s future… Read more
  35. MICA provides a wide range of programs for the youngest artists to grow their skills and make the most of their interests. Artistic exploration is among the best ways for kids to build confidence in… Read more
  36. Whether it's an entire summer, or just a few weeks, MICA has a variety creative and inspiring programming for teens. Overview of Programs for High School Students: YPS High School Studios… Read more
  37. MICA's Pre-College Art and Design Residency Program is an intensive college-level experience designed to help participants make the leap from thinking like high school art students to thinking like… Read more
  38. Summer Studios is an intensive four-week program for the young artist who is serious about his or her work. Students from around the world come together to experience MassArt and the environment of a… Read more
  39. Math Circle is a nonprofit that provides summer programs and outreach opportunities designed to build a mathematical community that values intellectual curiosity and collaboration. At Math Circle,… Read more
  40. Math contests give students an educationally enriching opportunity to participate in an academically-oriented activity and to gain recognition for mathematical achievement. Our main goal is… Read more
  41. Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS) is a worldwide math competition, organized by a not for profit foundation with the same name. It is held yearly from November through… Read more
  42. Canada/USA Mathcamp is an intensive 5-week-long summer program for mathematically talented high school students, designed to expose these students to the beauty of advanced mathematical ideas and to… Read more
  43. The MATHCOUNTS Competition Series is a national program that provides students the opportunity to compete in live, in-person contests against and alongside their peers. Created in 1983, it is the… Read more
  44. The Mathematical Olympiad Program (abbreviated MOSP) is a 3-week intensive problem solving camp held at the Carnegie Mellon University to help high school students prepare for math olympiads,… Read more
  45. The Mathematics, Science, and Technology (MST@MSU) program at Michigan State University is a one-week summer commuter or residential program for academically talented middle school students who are… Read more
  46. MathILy is an intensive residential summer program for mathematically excellent secondary students. Do you want to explore and create mathematics? Then read on, for that's what MathILy is all about!… Read more
  47. MathPath offers students of middle school age who are extremely talented in mathematics the summer opportunity to learn and develop at a pace and to a depth that matches their abilities while also… Read more
  48. MathWorks Math Modeling (M3) Challenge is a contest for high school juniors and seniors. Through participation, students experience what it’s like to work as a team to tackle a real-world problem… Read more
  49. Open to high school students preparing to enter their junior or senior year, the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) Summer Research Internship offers aspiring scientists an… Read more
  50. The Apprenticeship in Medicine (AIM) program provides carefully selected high school students from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to stimulate their interest in careers in medicine, biomedical… Read more