TeenLife 2024 Guide to Summer Programs

By GLENN MORGAN PARKER
Cornell's Online Pre-College Program
I attended Charles O. Dickerson High School in
Trumansburg, New York. I graduated in June of 2021.
I learned about Cornell's Online Pre-College Program
through word of mouth and was excited to take a
course. So what was my summer online course with
Cornell like? I took PSYCH 1990: Sport Psychology,
with Dr. Mary Turner DePalma. I was immersed in a
class which included both high school and college
students. It introduced me to a heavier workload,
which I hadn't had the chance to experience in the
typical high school setting I was accustomed to.
Lectures were thought provoking and challenging,
for my younger mind. I always looked forward
to class in anticipation of questions my professor
would pose. My Cornell Pre-College experience definitely
factored into my decision to apply to Cornell
for college. I greatly enjoyed Pre-College and found
connecting through a professor in higher education
incredibly rewarding. I desired experience working
in the field of scientific research and Cornell, being
a land-grant university with many opportunities, was
the perfect environment to pursue research in addition
to higher education.
As for advice for those applying to the Cornell
Summer Online program, I would say as difficult as
it may be, I recommend doing all your homework
as soon as possible since the courses are very fast
paced. Always communicate with your professor
and connect with them. Finally, look for a change
of scenery—going outside to do my work instead
of staying shut in my room often got me through
long passages of reading. Today, I am majoring in
Biological Sciences in the College of Agriculture
and Life Sciences at Cornell.
I think my Pre-College course prepared me on what to
expect from Cornell academics. I currently work in a
USDA lab under my graduate student mentor focusing
on virology projects. The research opportunity and
lab experience has been incredibly valuable. One of
the best things at about attending Cornell is working
at the USDA Heck Lab where I helps prepare experiments
for virology research. Not only has the lab work
been amazing, but the people are wonderful, making
this hands-on work the best experience I’ve had at
Cornell so far.
78 | 2024 TEENLIFE GUIDE TO SUMMER PROGRAMS