Although high schools traditionally offer summer school only on a remedial basis, many now provide academic enrichment programs for advanced students who want to work at a higher grade level. Many schools also let students enroll in summer school to complete required courses so they can free up time during the normal school year for electives. PSAT, SAT and other college-prep and career exploratory courses are also popular summertime classes for high school juniors and seniors. Talk to your guidance counselor to learn about the types of summer school classes and programs your high school has to offer.

Because summer offerings at high schools tend to be limited, high school students often head off to institutions of higher learning to further their education. Sometimes they seek out college-level programs that are designed exclusively for high school students, like Cornell University's Summer College (www.sce.cornell.edu/sc). Cornell's program consists of several courses and career exploration seminars for high school juniors and seniors, as well as a sophomore honors program. Other universities and colleges treat high school students as undergraduates. Harvard's summer school program (www.ssp.harvard.edu), for example, allows high school juniors and seniors to take almost 200 of its undergraduate liberal arts courses. While most universities allow high school students to earn transferable college credit for their studies, some don't. Stanford's Summer College for High School Students program (http://summersession.stanford.edu/college/), for instance, treats high school students as "visitors," making them ineligible for credit unless they later are admitted to the university. (Summer college is expensive, so high school students should give priority to programs where they can earn credit for college.) These programs are also a great way to check out a college before applying.

In addition to liberal arts programs, many colleges, universities and institutes also sponsor summer camps for high school students interested in specialized fields like math and science. Budding mathematicians can choose from a variety of camps, including some designed just for girls. Many of these programs are featured on the American Mathematical Society's web site (www.ams.org/employment/mathcamps.html). Young scientists also have several choices, including the National Youth Science Camp (www.sciencecamp.org), which is open to high school students who have completed their senior year. The four-week program is free, but only two students from each state are selected to go, so competition is fierce. Another option is NASA's SHARP (Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program), which is geared toward students interested in math, science, engineering, technology and geography. The summer program helps students build their research, computer and communication skills, among other things, at various locations nationwide. In some cases, participants are eligible to get paid for their work.

Still looking for ways to challenge yourself this summer? Why not pursue an extracurricular activity? After all, if your ultimate goal is to get accepted to a top college, remember that schools look for students who not only have high grades, but who are also well rounded. A great source for extracurricular activities (as well as academic programs) is the Yale Daily News Guide to Summer Programs, which features athletic and leadership programs, as well as opportunities to perform community service. The book has more than 500 listings.

Competition for summer session programs can be stiff, so don't hesitate to ask your career counselor for all the help you can get. And apply early for any kind of summer course you are interested in taking. If you wait until school's out, you might just be left out.