10 Cool Virtual Camps High School Students Can Join Over Winter Break

Summer is typically when high school students focus heavily on résumé building to stand out to colleges. They attend programs, do intensive volunteer work, or focus on passion projects. However, many students miss out on a key time to find experiential opportunities: winter break. With most students having two or three weeks off school, this is a prime opportunity to do something productive. Get a jump-start on gaining hands-on experience in your desired field of study by attending a winter camp! You’ll continue building on your experiences and make yourself more competitive for top summer programs. There are quite a few opportunities for students to take advantage of. Better yet, all these recommendations are virtual, so you can still travel for the holidays, spend time with friends and family, or juggle a few weeks of overlap with second-semester classes.

Medicine: An Inside Look at Treating Patients

• Host: Georgetown University
• Dates: December 22–January 5; January 5–February 2; January 19–February 16
• Cost: $1,795
• Age requirements: 13+ years old
• Deadline: December 15; December 29; January 12
• Overview: Georgetown’s pre-college medicine program gives students insight into the patient journey, including an overview of the different roles of a health care team and an exploration of various treatment plans. If you’re thinking of doing the Pre-med path, this is the program for you.

Great Books Winter Break Program: Artifice & Intellect

• Host: Great Books Summer Program
• Dates: December 27–29, 1:00–5:00 pm ET
• Cost: $450
• Age requirements: Middle and high school students in grades 6–12
• Deadline: Rolling admission
• Overview: This Great Books Winter Break course is led by Dr. Michael Harrington, a professor at New York University and long-time Great Books Academic Director. Students will be taken on a historical journey through literature to unravel the elusive connection between “Artificial” and “Human Intelligence." If you’re a night owl, you can also check out “Our World: Wild & Tame”—an international class on the emotions of metaphorical settings—taking place on December 28–30 from 8:00 pm–12:00 am.

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Molecular Medicine workshops

• Host: Rosetta Institute of Biomedical Research
• Dates: December 26–30(virtual); December 26–31 (in person)
• Cost: $670 (virtual); $1,690–$1,890 (in person)
• Age requirements: 11–18 years old
• Deadline: Rolling admission
• Overview: Rosetta Institute offers two virtual winter options: The Medical Bioinformatics and the Medicinal Chemistry workshops. Two commuter options are also available, allowing students to take the Biomedical Research workshop at their facility in Alameda, California, and the Cancer Research at their facility in Berkeley. All camps, virtual or otherwise, take place on the same dates.

Rising Researchers

• Host: Moon Prep
• Dates: December 16–January 16; February 3–February 26
• Cost: $3,300
• Age requirements: 9^th–12^th grade
• Deadline: Rolling admission (space is limited)
• Overview: A sister company of Moon Prep, Rising Researchers offers two four-week virtual camp options: "Biology Meets No-Code AI and ML Programming: Bioinformatics Research in Medicine or Microbiology for Beginners" (two sessions available) and "Exploring Topics in Neuroscience + Research Methodologies." You’ll work alongside peers in a small class cohort under the guidance of a research mentor.

BioImaging & 3D-Printing (BI3DP)

• Host: University of California, San Diego
• Dates: January 8–March 9
• Cost: $2,500
• Age requirements: 10^th–12^th grade, 14+ years old
• Deadline: January 2
• Overview: UC San Diego’s Bioengineering Broad Overview and Techniques (BE-BOAT) courses require students to commit about four to 10 hours per week over eight weeks. Lectures and discussions will be one to two hours long and students will have one to three hours during the week for office hours with the program assistants. You’ll have one to five hours of learn hands-on skills related to biomedical imaging and 3D printing and get an at-home kit to perform exercises, including remote 3D printing of plates and medical models. Students also receive three units of pre-college credit for completing each course. 

Center for Talented Youth online courses

• Host: Johns Hopkins University
• Dates: Vary
• Cost: Varies
• Age requirements: 2^nd–12^th grade
• Deadline: November 15
• Overview: The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth offers a wide variety of online courses for elementary, middle, and high school students in the winter. Topics include Advanced Java Programming, Web Design, Advanced Placement courses, Art Meets Science, Catch the Criminal, Amusement Park Physics, and much more.

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Personalized Medicine: Customizing Care Through Genetics

• Host: University of Rochester
• Dates: December 22–January 5
• Cost: $1,495
• Age requirements: 13+ years old
• Deadline: Rolling admission
• Overview: This course from the University of Rochester teaches students how our genetic codes make everyone unique. You'll learn how traits are passed on and how genetic breakthroughs can change medicine. The course covers stem cell therapy, gene editing, and how designing traits can affect treatment and health outcomes. At the end, students will create a capstone project identifying a particular disease and discussing how personalized medicine might be used to treat it.

EnergyMag virtual internship program

• Host: EnergyMag.net
• Dates: Varies between one to nine months
• Cost: Free
• Age requirements: 10^th–12^th grade
• Deadline: Rolling admission
• Overview: This free internship program from EnergyMag teaches students how to research and analyze scientific and business issues. Throughout their internship, students will produce a draft analysis report that will be published on the website at the end of the program. Interns are expected to work eight hours a week, and applicants should have at least a 3.25 GPA.

Beaver Works Summer Institute programming

• Host: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Dates: Year-round
• Cost: Free
• Age requirements: 9^th–12^th grade
• Deadline: Rolling admission
• Overview: Beaver Works Summer Institute offers a variety of online courses and challenges for high school students throughout the year. Nominations from teachers or counselors are not required, and students are encouraged to self-register. Examples include Build a Cubesat Challenge, Cre[ate] Assistive Technology Challenge, and multiple programs just for female students (like "Girls Who Want to Learn Many Interesting Things").

Cornell University Precollege Studies online courses

• Host: Cornell University Precollege Studies
• Dates: January 2–18
• Cost: $1,840 per credit
• Age requirements: 11^th and 12^th grade, 15+ years old
• Deadline: December 2
• Overview: Cornell University offers a variety of pre-college courses online, including American Sign Language, Animal Science, Economics, History, Music, Psychology, and more. After successfully completing a course, you'll earn a Cornell transcript to be transferred wherever you choose to attend college.

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Participating in a virtual camp through a college or professional organization is sure to keep you sharp over winter break and strengthen your high school résumé. Free options are available, and you may be able to apply for scholarships to help bring down the cost of the more expensive programs. Whatever you do, have an enjoyable and productive vacation, and be sure to take some time to relax as well!

Don’t sweat the cost of these winter programs! Find awards to help pay for your education using our Scholarship Search tool.