Course Offerings at Summer Session

The opportunities for study at Andover Summer are endless. Embracing your curiosity is the first step toward your success in the classroom, laboratory, or studio. Learning at Andover Summer means choosing from a multitude of courses—whether you devote your summer to a new interest, prepare for a challenging course, or seek inspiration and guidance in your art, you will find faculty committed to supporting you in your course of study.

Andover Summer courses are accessible to students, grade levels seven through twelve, or ages 11 to 17. There are extensive and varied course offerings housed in the Lower School Institute (LSI), and the Upper School, each described in further detail below.

Summer Session 2024 will begin on July 2nd and run through August 4th.

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Lower School Institute Courses
Upper School Courses

English Language Learning Institute

Our English Language Learners Institute is designed for rising 7th-12th graders or ages 11-17 who come from non-English speaking homes and are looking to develop greater fluency and proficiency with the English language. Beginner level courses are not available at Andover Summer, so students should come with basic English language proficiency (scoring at or above 60 on the TOEFL iBT, 6.0 on IELTS, or between 95-100 on Duolingo). Five distinct course offerings at the Upper School level and our Witchcraft in New England course at the Lower School level allow our ELL students to surround themselves in a safe and nurturing academic environment with instructors who specialize in supporting this population of students. While our English Language Learners Institute students engage in a separate set of course offerings, they live with other Andover Summer students and take part in all afternoon and weekend activities available to the Upper and Lower School cohort, respectively. Please view the Upper and Lower School Catalogs for a view of ELL courses and their descriptions.

Please note: Students applying to Summer Session must have basic English language proficiency for consideration. While we do not require submission of these exams, please keep these scores in mind when deciding to apply. If a student does not self-select ELL, the admissions committee may make a determination that the ELL program is best suited for a particular student during the review process.

Academic Support

The rigor of an Andover Summer experience is not without its challenges! Throughout Summer Session, students have ample access to support from their instructors in a myriad of ways.


Small Classes

With the majority of classes structured to include 8-10 students, and a cap of 16, Andover Summer's small class size enables students to build strong relationships with their instructors. Veteran Phillips Academy and Andover Summer teachers ensure that students have the support and individual attention they need to thrive.

Evening Study

Each evening, Sunday-Friday, students participate in mandatory Study Hours between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Study Hours may include...

  • Evening class sessions
  • Supervised dorm study hours
  • Reservation-based library, computer center, and language lab access
  • Academic Skills support through one of the evening study centers (Math, Writing, and Science)

Advising

Students enrolled in Andover Summer, both those who live on campus and those who commute as day students, are assigned an advisor throughout the five-week program. Advisors strive to make a personal connection with each student and guide them through the summer, assisting students with a range of questions, challenges, and successes they may experience over the course of the five weeks. The key to a successful Andover Summer is a healthy balance of academic, social, extracurricular, and personal activities.

Optional Programs

Ace Your Tests

Princeton Review courses prepare students for the verbal, quantitative, and reading comprehension sections of the SAT, ACT and SSAT standardized tests. The Princeton Review class will focus on vocabulary, verbal reasoning, and the ability to relate ideas logically, to solve problems involving arithmetic, elementary algebra and geometry and concepts as well the student’s ability to understand what he/she read. Princeton Review courses meet 4 times per week for one hour each during the program. To visit the Princeton Review Test Prep site click here.

Students will learn efficient test-taking strategies which, alongside the additional full-length practice test, will help relieve test taking anxiety and allow for students to maximize their score.

At the start of the program, each student will take a diagnostic full-length test for evaluation and placement purposes as well as a practice final full-length test to chart score improvements over the duration of the course. Detailed personalized score analyses are given to the student to evaluate their performance and pinpoint individual strengths and weaknesses.

  • Students enrolled in the SAT Prep Course will cover all sections of the exam. Students will take two full-length practice exams, with an optional third test available. They will have complete access to the Princeton Review Online Student Center at the conclusion of the course and can continue to improve their skills after Summer Session ends.
  • Students enrolled in the ACT Prep Course will have an extensive review of all ACT content. Students will learn test-taking strategies and take three full-length practice exams, with an optional, at-home fourth test. They will have complete access to the Princeton Review Online Student Center at the conclusion of the course and can continue to improve their skills.

SSAT Prep Course

Open to Lower School Institute students, provides strategies and testing practice on all sections of the test. Used nationwide.

Learn to Improve

Students take two full-length practice SSATs and receive personalized score reports detailing their strengths and weaknesses.

Building Best Study Practices

Open to Upper School students, Essential Study Skills is an optional course designed to teach students the skills to thrive, both academically and personally, in challenging school environments. Invited to nurture the broader dispositions that lead to academic success, students will emerge from the course with a toolkit of strategies they can use throughout their academic careers and beyond for:

  • finding (and maintaining) curiosity and motivation
  • cultivating optimism and resilience
  • developing essential academic skills
  • applying learning strategies for improved time management and effective study.

Essential Study Skills meets four days a week for 60 minute course periods.

A friendly note: this course is especially recommended for students who believe they have room to improve academically or are anticipating an imminent transition to a markedly more rigorous academic experience than that to which they are accustomed. A student who is currently content with their approach to academic work and finds that their study strategies are successful, while welcome in this course, will likely not benefit to the same extent as a student who sees room for growth.

Get a jump on the college admissions process

Open to Upper School students, the College Counseling program provides students with an insider's look at the college admissions process. Registration for this program provides students with:

  • The opportunity to participate in information sessions held 4x/week on a variety of aspects of the college process, from selection and application to comparing financial aid packages and choosing a major. Each session includes a guest speaker from a college or university admissions office, with previous years' speakers hailing from institutions like Harvard, Amherst, Dartmouth, and Brown.
  • A 1:1 college counseling session, in which students work with a counselor to discuss college options, assist with resume writing, and feedback on college essays.
  • Priority registration for college visits to schools within the New England area.