There are many great summer programs offered by top colleges, ways to explore topics at a high level, or really sink your teeth into a subject. Some of these are more specialized than others, and this specialization often leads to the best experiences, chances to really do something that matters. In this article, we’re going to look at a summer program now on offer from UC Berkeley’s MET program: the Innovation Academy. In this article, we’re going to look at what this program is, what it offers to students, and how it stacks up. As we’ve seen before, not all summer programs offered by top schools are actually valuable, and so we’re going to see how MET’s offering compares to other ways you can spend your summer. Let’s jump right in!
Berkeley’s Management and Engineering Technology Program
We’ve written in detail about Berkeley’s MET Program before, but want to look at it again in context of this program, as this will give a sense of the Innovation Academy’s purpose, and who it’s meant to serve. The program as a whole is a joint venture between two Berkeley colleges: the Haas School of Business and the College of Engineering, and is meant to highlight the merger of these fields.
New products and designs don’t just spring fully formed from holes in the ground, and so this program strives to help students understand the creation and business process from both sides. It is understandably very competitive; business and engineering are already two of the most popular majors, and the merger of them makes it even more so.
The summer program is aimed at high school students who are already interested in a field like this for themselves, who want the entrepreneurial focus of business merged with the hands-on components of engineering. Such programs certainly aren’t for everyone, but with how popular it is at the collegiate level, it’s unsurprising that Berkeley has decided to offer this as a summer program.
Note that while the MET program is one of Berkeley’s most competitive, that does not automatically make the summer program worthwhile in itself. We’ll go over the potential value in a later section, but this has shown what the program is for, and who it is attempting to serve.
What Berkeley’s Innovation Academy Offers
This is a relatively short program, just two and a half weeks in length, and is residential, offering students a chance to live on Berkeley’s campus and get a taste of college life. It is quite expensive for its length, but this is often the case for residential programs (plus many colleges do use summer programs like this as a money grab). There is financial aid available, though this requires a separate application.
During the program itself, students will learn from faculty from the Haas School of Business and the College of Engineering, working on a project where they pitch a design prototype. The program includes both classroom instruction and some chances to do hands-on prototyping of your design.
You will also get to experience life on Berkeley’s campus, and take part in career development exercises, where students learn some of what business and entrepreneurship entails from experts. These are all introductory, but give you a good sense of what you might expect to see if you dedicate yourself to these fields.
As with most summer programs hosted on college campuses, there’s also a social aspect to the Innovation Academy. You’ll get to meet and learn from current students in Berkeley’s MET program, and participate in excursions through the Bay Area with other members of the program on weekends.
Is Berkeley’s Innovation Academy a Good Program for You?
This program is only open to rising juniors and seniors (that is, current sophomores and juniors), students who are judged mature enough to spend a bit of time away from home living in college dorms. These are also the students who have the broadest range of programs available, and who want to be sure they make the best possible use of their time during the summer.
The Innovation Academy is a good program, but not a great one, as it has many of the same shortcomings we see with other programs of this type. We’ll go through these, explain why they create issues, and why admissions officers may not look highly on this program. Note that our goal here isn’t to discourage you from applying; there are scenarios where this can still be a good program to pursue. We just want to be sure that if you do, you do so with forethought.
The first issue with the program is how short it is, which ties into the second, how much it costs. Now, there are expenses to be expected when you’re staying on a college campus, but when you’re there for well under a month, you get the sense that the college sees this more as a chance to make some money rather than to offer something truly valuable to students.
The next issue is the lack of hands-on opportunities. Now, this program does give you more hands-on projects than some other business summer programs, but it lacks the sorts of in-depth options you often see from engineering programs. A longer term program, where you really dive into the engineering process of building a prototype, and the business case for marketing it, would be valuable. This program has that potential, but does not fully capitalize on it.
So is this a good program?
For students who are interested in entrepreneurship and engineering, and who have limited experience in each, this can be a useful introductory program, especially for current sophomores. Older students, or those who are already certain of their course of study, will benefit far less from what it offers.
While the introduction to Berkeley’s specific program is nice, it will not aid in your application to it, and may indeed hurt you. Admissions officers tend to look down on programs of this sort, even the ones their school offers. Remember, summer programs and admissions are wholly different departments within a school, and the statements of one do not reflect the view of another.
What Other Options Are There?
The merger of engineering and business is an increasingly popular one, especially as tech startups and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley increasingly reshape the social and financial landscape. That said, there are very few official summer programs designed to meet this need; the one by Berkeley is not quite unique, but it hardly has hordes of competition.
For these students, the best option is often designing a program for themselves, pursuing internships or independent projects properly tailored to their interests. Working with a small startup or a large company can give insights into both the realities of business and how the design process works in practice, plus give you a chance to stretch your own skills.
Internships can be difficult to find and arrange, especially compared to programs like Berkeley’s, but that difficulty is part of what makes them more impressive to admissions officers. If you are looking for guidance in finding and applying to an internship, check out our article on the subject.
The other option you may consider is taking an approach that leans much more heavily on engineering. There are a number of engineering summer programs which offer long-term hands-on options for students, a chance to really build something impressive and interesting. Berkeley’s program gives you a taste of this, but one that really lets you expand and explore your skills will be more beneficial. You can find some of these in our article here.
There is no one “right” summer program which will guarantee your acceptance to a top college. What you need to find is one which will support your growth, and allow you to explore your interests to the fullest possible extent.
Final Thoughts
Top colleges offer plenty of summer programs, ones designed to cater to all interests. Berkeley’s Innovation Academy is one such, and quite a good one, though not right for every student and every scenario. We hope that this article has given you a good idea of what this program is and offers, and whether or not it’s the kind of thing which would be beneficial for you.
If you are looking for help finding the perfect summer program, or setting up an internship or other opportunity perfectly tailored to your interests, then Ivy Scholars can help. Our mentors have long practice setting students on the path to success, regardless of where their interests lie. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can help you explore your passions.
