Penn Medicine Summer Program
for High School Students
Spend two virtual (online) weeks experiencing the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine intensive program designed for high school juniors and seniors interested in medical careers. Modeled after actual Penn Medicine classes, you’ll gain exposure to the basics of medical training including practical experiences and online demonstrations.
The high–tech, jaw-dropping learning spaces at Penn Medicine are every medical student’s dream. You’ll learn from the highly accredited Penn Medicine faculty, who are involved throughout the program. Students also have the rare opportunity to observe a surgery. This program is a solid first step into pre-med education and careers.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
You must be entering Grade 11 or 12 during the 2021 – 2022 school year and you must have taken (or currently be taking) High School Level Biology in order to apply for admission to this summer program.
Admission is competitive and follows a fixed timeline. In order to complete an application for admission, you will be required to submit the following application requirements:
- Extracurricular Activities (You will be asked to provide descriptions of three extracurricular activities.)
- Honors or Awards (You may provide a description of up to three honors or awards you have received.)
- Essay (You will be asked to upload an essay. The prompt is as follows: “Aside from an assumed interest in medicine, why are you interested in the Penn Medicine Summer Program for High School Students? Do not exceed 300 – 400 words.”)
- School Information (including name, address, phone, type, guidance counselor information, GPA, class rank, etc.)
- Academic Transcript with Fall 2020 Grades including your Biology course (We accept unofficial and official transcripts and you will upload the item yourself.)
- Letters of Recommendation (We’ll require two submissions and one must be from a STEM Subject Instructor. You’ll find a full set of instructions in your account after you register and pay your application fee. You can upload the letters yourself, or your teacher/recommender can email them to info@boldsummers.com)
ADMISSION TIMELINE
APPLICATION OPENS: | January 12, 2021 |
APPLICATION CLOSES: | March 1, 2021 |
DECISION DATE: | March 31, 2021 |
RSVP DATE: | April 7, 2021 |
BALANCE DUE: | April 14, 2021 |
Experience Summer
at University of Pennslyvania
VIRTUAL LEARNING SUMMER 2021
For Summer 2021, we will bring the University of Pennsylvania campus to you, as we have transformed our on-campus courses into a customized, interactive, and robust online experience. Through close and meaningful virtual connections with faculty and peers, we guarantee that each student will be a vital part of our BOLD community.
Technology Use Guidelines
The information below will apply to 2022 when the in-person program resumes.

College Life
From meeting your new roommate, walking to class on the beautiful campus, eating in the dining halls, and taking classes in the historic buildings, you’ll get a taste of what life as a college student is really like. You’ll love the modern amenities, air-conditioned dorms, snack shops, WiFi and state-of-the-art buildings.

Diverse Experience
Many students come from around the world to join us each summer. Every year we hear how much students enjoy meeting people from all over the country and the world and how it opened their eyes to different parts of the globe.

Weekend Trips
Trips are offered every Saturday to regional destinations of your choice like New York City, Ocean City, Washington, DC, and more. Sundays are for exploring the Philadelphia area.

Evening Activities
Bowling, dances, casino night, and more – every evening there is a planned event. Sometimes we stay on campus and other nights we’ll travel to a local venue for an off-campus activity.

Study at Penn Medicine
The summer high school medical program curriculum is modeled on actual Penn Medicine first-year classes but redesigned to engage bright high school students who are serious about medical careers. The program exposes you to the basics of medical training while allowing you the opportunity to pursue or discover your passions and interests.
Each morning, you will participate in interactive lectures and teaching sessions delivered by Penn clinicians on the day’s featured topics, including transplant surgery, emergency medicine, cancer, resuscitation science, kidney disease and sports medicine. Afternoons will be devoted to a variety of hands-on, virtual and simulated experiences at various Penn Medicine teaching sites and demonstration labs.

Through medical-school like lectures and hands-on lab activities, Penn Med allowed me to learn tons of new information and bring my understanding of human biology to a new level.

As Penn Medicine Summer Program for High School Students you may:
- Learn techniques of CPR and First Aid
- Learn to suture & tie surgical knots
- Learn to perform skin biopsies
- Learn to draw blood, start an IV, and perform a spinal tap
- Learn minimally invasive surgical techniques
- Observe a dissection
- Virtually attend labs in pathology, microbiology and urine analysis
- Observe a surgery
- Listen to lung sounds and heart sounds
* VIRTUAL/ONLINE CONTENT MAY VARY FROM THIS LIST

At Penn Medicine
The high-tech, jaw-dropping learning spaces at Penn Medicine are every student’s dream. Students also have the rare opportunity to observe a surgery.
From Penn Faculty
You’ll learn from the highly accredited Penn Medicine faculty, who are involved throughout the program. The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is the nation’s oldest medical school!