The economic downturn has had a mixed effect on summer programs at Penn, with some experiencing growth and others seeing a decrease in applications.
Penn hosts a wide variety of summer programs, including athletic and academic programs targeted at high-school and college students. Although no application deadlines have passed so far, administrators have made projections about the number of applicants they will see.
The College of Liberal and Professional Studies' coordinator for summer high-school programs Lauren Hoagland said she has seen an "on-target" number of applicants.
'The largest difference is that we've had a shift from our six-week programs to our four-week programs," she said. "I imagine that's partially due to the economy."
Katherine Daulton, program director for some of the summer programs at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said she has not seen the economy affect the volume of applications, though she said, "there might be more people applying for financial aid" for the Summer Academy in Applied Science and Technology.
However, she said the Summer Institute in Business and Technology, which draws its students from undergraduates abroad, has seen an increase in interest, mainly from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.
Anne Greenhalgh, director of Undergraduate Leadership Programs at Wharton, said the increase can be explained partially by SJTU's partnership with Wharton, although she also said the business focus of the program can also explain the interest, even during an economic downturn.
"Students are interested in business in part for practical reasons," she said. "A business degree is one that could prepare you for a wide variety of opportunities."
Megan Doherty, assistant director of international and service learning projects at Engineering, said there is an increase in applications for the summer mentorship program, a free program for Philadelphia public high school students. She attributed this to the program's cost-free nature.
The economy's effect on athletic summer programs has also been mixed.
Brendan Gallagher, assistant coach for men's and women's swimming, said he hasn't seen a decline in applications.
He explained that there is always a demand to teach children how to swim.
Gloria Lozano, assistant coach for women's lacrosse, which runs two camps, said the camp targeting high-school juniors through incoming college freshmen is "not ahead, but not behind" in terms of application numbers.
However, "numbers are a little behind" for the camp that serves eighth-grade students through incoming college freshmen, she said, adding that, according to friends at other schools, numbers are down elsewhere as well.
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