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 Conservatory Summer Institute is a 10-day intensive program for high school students considering studying music in college. Participants will work side-by-side with Conservatory of Music faculty… Read more
  2. Every year, through the Student Leaders program Bank of America helps connect 225 community-minded high school juniors and seniors to employment, skills development and service. They’re awarded paid… Read more
  3. Each year 84 academically motivated students are chosen to participate in the workshop at Simon’s Rock. Unlike more traditional workshops in creative writing, the Young Writers Workshop focuses on… Read more
  4. The Bard Math Circle promotes enjoyment of mathematics for elementary, middle, and high school students in the Mid-Hudson Valley, NY. The Bard Math Circle runs math enrichment programs in the… Read more
  5. The Saturday Science Seminar Program (S-Cubed) is an initiative developed by Barnard College to encourage interest in the sciences among young women in high school. S-Cubed brings women in the 11th… Read more
  6. Summer programs offered: Summer in the City: Students take two courses of their choice over the span of four weeks. As part of the program, students both participate in admissions and career… Read more
  7. The No Barriers Mountain Campus is one step from wilderness and that’s how we like it! Our Fort Collins, CO summer camps and trips are located in an intentionally rustic playground that provides kids… Read more
  8. Bay Area Speech and Debate Academy is a private company that provides speech and debate classes for students develop skills which are necessary for them to be successful in school college and life.… Read more
  9. CASPER's Summer High School Scholars Program provides AP high school students access to an interdisciplinary hands-on research environment. The CASPER High School Scholars Program provides selected… Read more
  10. The Baylor Summer Debate Workshop offers cutting-edge debate instruction. Baylor has created a unique camp format for teaching policy debate to high school students. The goal of the policy workshop… Read more
  11. The Bel Canto Institute Summer Program and Youth Division Summer Program has been held in residence in Florence, Italy (see website for location details). Singers and coaches will be chosen by means… Read more
  12. The Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Summer Institute fosters relationships among the younger generation of Europeans and Americans to build strong linkages and an awareness of shared values.… Read more
  13. Bennington College has a unique literary legacy, including nine Pulitzer Prize winners, three U.S. poet laureates, four MacArthur Geniuses, countless New York Times bestsellers, and one of Time… Read more
  14. Wall Street 101 is a non-residential held at the Bentley University campus in Waltham, MA. This 5-day non-residential program provides a fun and interactive opportunity for rising high school… Read more
  15. embARC is a four week summer design program at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design that brings together high school students from diverse backgrounds to explore architecture, urban design… Read more
  16. This program offers advanced high-school students the opportunity to be involved with cutting-edge research in vision science. In this immersive experience, students will be involved in every step of… Read more
  17. The Berkeley Girls in Engineering program is a week-long, non-residential summer camp for San Francisco Bay Area girls entering 6th, 7th, and 8th grades to explore different aspects of what it means… Read more
  18. Berkeley Pre-College Scholars: Summer Residential Program This program offers you the opportunity to live on-campus and be a part of a community of high school students enjoying their summer at… Read more
  19. Berklee summer programs will give you a taste of Berklee—the preeminent institute of contemporary music and the performing arts—on the stage, in the studio, and in the classroom. With programs in… Read more
  20. BOOST is a middle and high school-based robotics competition where teams compete head-to-head. Each year a new challenge is chosen based on real-world issues.  Winners of local competitions may… Read more
  21. Take plywood and a box filled with items such as PVC pipe, screws and other hardware, an irrigation valve cover, piano wire, aluminum paint grid, a bicycle inner tube, a BRAIN (BEST Robotics Advanced… Read more
  22. Since 2008, Between the Lines (BTL) has hosted young writers at the University of Iowa for a cultural exchange program that focuses on the art and craft of creative writing. Participants, aged 15-18… Read more
  23. The Bezos Scholars Program is a year-long leadership development program that amplifies youth voice and action. Each spring, 17 exceptional high school juniors and a supportive educator from their… Read more
  24. The BioGENEius Challenges provide high school students the opportunity to compete and be recognized for outstanding research in biotechnology. Students have the opportunity to apply and compete for… Read more
  25. The Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute in Torrance, CA offers an 8 week summer program for outstanding Los Angeles County rising 11th & 12th graders who excel in science. Students earn a … Read more
  26. Since 2004, BioQuest Academy’s mission has been to educate and promote college-readiness, and to advance the science of infectious diseases and global health research. In October of 2018, BioQuest… Read more
  27. Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, a summer school of the arts located on a 1,600 acre campus in Michigan’s Manistee National Forest, offers fine arts education for all ages. Each summer, the principal camp… Read more
  28. The BMI Student Composer Awards is an annual competition open to young composers engaged in the study of classical music. Our oldest awards program in any genre, the competition has a prestigious… Read more
  29. The Boeing High School Scholars Program is a highly selective program that provides high school students with an opportunity to experience college level course work in engineering at Embry-Riddle… Read more
  30. Summer Academy has been introducing high school students to the fields of architecture and spatial design since 1973. Are you considering a career in architecture or design? Are you working on your… Read more
  31. The BCE Honors residential program for high-school students offers a comprehensive experience which allow you to experience college life first-hand, and tackle the seemingly-intimidating college… Read more
  32. Open to rising sophomores, juniors and seniors, these are short (two and three-week long) non-credit courses that provide students the opportunity to “try out" the full experience of living and… Read more
  33. This engaging and creative residential program is designed to challenge high school students with a strong interest in and talent for mathematics. Students in this program will participate in math… Read more
  34. Vocal/Choral Intensive (VCI) is a two-week summer program for high school-aged singers who are focused on musical theater or classical music. Led by faculty with years of experience training young… Read more
  35. Award-winning summer STEM research programs for teens. Residential 3-week programs: The Boston Leadership Institute selects outstanding high school students for our three-week programs. Students… Read more
  36. RISE offers two tracks: Internship and Practicum. Internship students tackle research projects under the mentorship of distinguished faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students. Spend 40… Read more
  37. For two weeks, experience life on a college campus and take on new academic challenges in our residential summer program for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Summer Challenge… Read more
  38. The Boston University Summer Theatre Institute is a five-week conservatory experience for highly motivated high school theatre artists. Designed to mirror the freshman BFA experience within the… Read more
  39. 52 years and 10,000 alumni strong, we’re a leader in the field. We’re a program of Boston University College of Fine Arts and affiliated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood Music Center… Read more
  40. To provide an exciting, hands-on experience through business/education partnerships to build the current and future workforce needed by the manufacturing industry. BotsIQ is a manufacturing… Read more
  41. The Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs is a New England-based nonprofit with an international reach that has a mission to inspire and empower the next generation of ocean caretakers through art,… Read more
  42. Students will spend five fun-filled days learning to make reeds, participating in bassoon and oboe ensembles, receiving private instruction, playing in master classes and concerts. Reed-making… Read more
  43. Whether you are getting ready for your high school’s musical, a community theatre production, or auditioning for college programs, Audition Techniques will help you build your confidence and present… Read more
  44. The SMI Piano Camp offers students the opportunity to study music in a stimulating environment under the tutelage of our distinguished piano faculty. This intensive program includes private and group… Read more
  45. BGSU’s Super Sax Camp offers a dynamic musical experience for any high school saxophonists. Located in Bowling Green's state of the art music facility, this historic camp promotes the joy and… Read more
  46. As a violin, viola, cello or bass player, you will receive individual guidance from members of the renowned string faculty at BGSU. Each student is assigned to one of two chamber orchestras, one for… Read more
  47. The purpose of the camp is to help you develop your voice while nurturing your passion for singing. You will receive private lessons, attend vocal seminars, participate in master classes and attend… Read more
  48. Explain a neuroscience concept so that a broad audience can understand the wonders of the brain and mind. Anyone can enter! Work with a member of the Society for Neuroscience to produce an… Read more
  49. Want to build a mobile application designed to connect women in STEM fields? Or perhaps you wish to start your own business as a nearby Techie who repairs all things related to technology? Whatever… Read more
  50. At BIMA you'll be part of a creative community brimming with artistic discovery and Jewish experiences. Join talented world-class arts faculty and talented peers for a month in the summer to pursue… Read more