"There's no question that some very, very good students have come to the Summer School and fallen in love with Harvard and Cambridge," Fitzsimmons says. "As a result of their experience, they applied to Harvard and were accepted." But that doesn't mean SSP students have an advantage in admissions, he says.

Aside from the attraction of the name, Harvard does bring the general college application process to the forefront of SSP extracurricular events. Besides the college essay seminar, an event entitled "How to Get into Harvard" was open to students--preceding the seminar "The Top 10 Reasons Why Not to Apply to Harvard."

The cautionary message is fairly clear. "We do not urge students to apply to Harvard," says SSP Director Elizabeth C. Hewitt.

"We run a big college fair to give the kids a chance to talk to 30 other colleges from as far away as Stanford and the University of Chicago," she says. "Secondary School Program students do not have a better chance of getting accepted by the College."

Nevertheless, many SSP students are open about their ambitions. A Canaday resident, enrolled in a hefty number of science classes, says she is looking forward to requesting recommendations from her professors. Already, she is considering the extracurricular activities she might pursue at Harvard.

Orchard Professor in the History of Landscape Development John R. Stilgoe says that of the SSP students he has taught over the years, many went on to attend the College.

"Some schools, like Choate, have already caught on to the fact that sending their students to Harvard Summer School and getting them a professor's recommendation will most likely get them into Harvard," Stilgoe says.