Information for Parents & Guardians

For many of you, this is the first time your child is away from home for a significant period of time. We understand that this can be an exciting and apprehensive time both for parents and students. In this section, we hope to give you a better idea of what to expect in the areas that matter most to you. If you have any questions that we have not answered here, please do not hesitate to call us at 617-353-1378 or email us at summerhs@bu.edu.

Housing and Dining

Housing and dining in the Warren Towers residence hall is provided for high school summer program participants. Students live together in Warren Towers, which is made up of three separate towers of dormitory rooms. Young men and women live in separate towers, usually two to a room. The dining room in Warren Towers offers a variety of food options and can accommodate a range of diets.

Summer Challenge students are required to live on campus, and their program fee includes 19-meals a week.

Different meal plans are available for both High School Honors and Research Internship in Science & Engineering (RISE) residential students (14- or 19-meals a week). Choose a 14-meal plan if you like to sleep through breakfast or eat off campus every once in a while. Choose a 19-meal plan if you like to eat every meal in the dining hall. Commuting students can purchase convenience points to purchase food at the George Sherman Union or eat meals with their friends at the Warren Towers dining room.

For Summer Preview commuter and residential students*, lunch is provided in the Warren Towers dining room. The five lunches are included in the program fee. The room and board for Summer Preview residential students includes room, breakfast, and dinner.

Note: Warren Towers has air conditioning in the dining hall, some study areas, and television room but not in the dorm rooms or other areas in the building. We recommend that students bring a fan with them or buy one when they arrive on campus.

*Please note that Summer Preview residential students must be at least 14 years old.

Safety and Supervision

Warren Towers is staffed with security guards 24 hours a day in addition to carefully selected Program Assistants who live on each floor with the students and accompany them on all program activities. There is a curfew of 11 pm on weekdays (Sunday - Thursday) and midnight on weekends (Friday and Saturday). All planned activities are mandatory; however, during free time students are allowed to leave campus as long as they have at least one other program participant with them, and they inform a Program Assistant of their plans. Summer Preview students may not leave campus without a Program Assistant.

In addition, Hall Directors and Resident Assistant staff live in the dorm. Boston University also maintains a full-time professional police department with over 40 police officers, available to assist in the event of an emergency.

Program Residential Staff

Our program residential staff, comprised of Program Assistants, a Senior Program Assistant, and their supervisor, the Student Life Coordinator, is always on hand to help our high school students. Program Assistants are Boston University students and some are even alumni of BU's Summer Term High School Programs. Our program residential staff has a thorough knowledge of Boston University and the city of Boston. Program Assistants get to know the high school students well, acting as chaperones for all program activities and guiding them through this process. They are highly visible and a great resource for the students.

Academic Credit

Students in the High School Honors Program receive up to eight Boston University credits for the courses they take. Most other colleges and universities will accept this credit, but you need to confirm this fact with the school(s) your son/daughter may attend. Students who matriculate at Boston University will have these courses count towards their degree and overall GPA. The grades received in these courses are permanent and cannot be stricken from students' records.

Summer Challenge and Summer Preview students do not receive academic credit for their academic work but receive certificates of completion and written evaluations from their instructors in the fall. Research Internship in Science & Engineering students also do not receive academic credit and instead receive certificates of completion in the fall.

Planned Activities

All program activities are mandatory unless otherwise stated. This is to ensure that a community develops within the programs, and to expose students to all that Boston has to offer. In the past, activities have included group trips to Faneuil Hall, Harvard Square, Hampton Beach, and the theater. A schedule of activities is emailed to you approximately one week before the start of the program.

Overnight Absence from Campus*

Only for High School Honors and Research Internship students.
*Overnight absences are not allowed for Summer Challenge or Summer Preview (session two) students.
Due to the High School Honors and Research Internship in Science & Engineering being six weeks in length, occasionally students need to leave campus overnight (family reunions, emergencies, etc.). If a student needs to be away from campus overnight, we must receive notice in writing, via email from a parent/guardian, at least forty-eight hours in advance. This email must provide the name and cell phone number of the person who will be responsible for the student while off campus, as well as when the student will leave and return to campus. We ask that overnight absences be kept to a minimum, as participants are expected to take part in weekend program activities.

Free-Time Guidelines

Students are allowed to leave campus during their free time. However, students are not permitted to leave campus by themselves—they must be accompanied by at least one other student in the program or by a Program Assistant. Summer Preview students must be with a Program Assistant if travelling off campus and with at least one other program participant when on campus. Students may not leave the city of Boston without the permission of their parents and our program. Our program reserves the right to restrict students access to any part of Boston for security or other concerns. When students do leave campus, they need to inform a Program Assistant of their destination and time of return, no later than curfew. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in disciplinary consequences and possible removal from the program.

Summer Challenge and Summer Preview Students Only: If a student has a special circumstance (i.e. family reunion) during a planned activity and needs to miss an activity, the parent needs to send in a written request to be considered and approved by our office at least two weeks before the program begins. Requests should be sent via email to the Summer Term High School Programs office and needs to include the reason for potentially missing a planned activity, the date and time the student will be away from the planned activity, and signatures from both the parent and student. Requests made once the program begins will not be considered.

REMEMBER: Students are not allowed to miss any class time and there are no overnight absences for Summer Challenge students. If a student receives approval by our office to miss a planned activity the student must return by curfew.

Drugs and Alcohol

No illicit drugs or alcohol are allowed in the dorm or on campus. Illicit drugs or alcohol are not permitted to be consumed during the duration of the program. Students found in possession of, under the influence of, in the presence of, and/or suspected of consuming these prohibited items will be removed from the program immediately and may receive additional penalties. Students may also receive penalties ex post facto, if evidence surfaces that students were engaged in these prohibited activities during the program. There are no exceptions. Decisions on incidents involving illicit drugs and alcohol are up to the discretion of the Boston University Summer Term High School Programs.

Student Conduct

Students may be withdrawn from the Summer Term High School Programs if, in our judgment, they pose a direct threat to their own health or safety or to that of others, or refuse to cooperate with efforts deemed necessary by the University to evaluate their conduct.

A fundamental goal of the Summer Term High School Programs is to foster a community environment based upon mutual respect and openness. Therefore, any form of discrimination, including but not limited to that based on race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation, constitutes unacceptable behavior.

Disability Services

Boston University is committed to supporting the academic, social, and cultural integration of individuals with disabilities. Our mission is to foster academic excellence, personal responsibility, and leadership growth in students with disabilities. Individuals are encouraged to contact Disability Services to discuss support services and accommodations they may need. Services include auxiliary aids such as sign-language interpreters, exam accommodation, note taking services, text in alternative format, and assistive technology. Accommodations are provided on a case-by-case basis depending on the individual's diagnosis and documented needs. Disability Services is also available to consult with individuals and groups regarding architectural, programmatic, digital, or communication access. The University's Compliance Officer for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is the Director of Disability Services, Lorraine E. Wolf, Ph.D., who can be reached at lwolf@bu.edu. The Office of Disability Services may be reached at 617-353-3658, by email at access@bu.edu, or at bu.edu/disability.

Family Visits

If a parent or guardian is in town and would like to spend time with their son or daughter or if the student would like to visit relatives or family friends in the area, it needs to be scheduled during the student's free time when there are no activities planned and the student needs to return to their dorm by curfew. In addition, the parent or guardian needs to send written permission to the Summer Term office at least forty-eight hours before the student is planning to leave campus. The parent or guardian can email a letter of permission including details such as the time of when the student will leave and return to campus and the cell phone number of the relative or family friend the student will be with to summerhs@bu.edu.

Application and Program Fee Policies

Application fees are non-refundable. No refund or reduction in program fee will be made for a student who arrives to the program late, leaves the program early, or is dismissed from the program due to violation of the program guidelines.

Wiring Money

In an emergency, parents can wire money to their student. We recommend using Western Union. The nearest Western Union center is:

Rite Aid #10175
1295 Boylston Street
MAFT #4759
Boston, MA 02215
617-262-5770

Program Assistants are available to accompany students to Rite Aid.