Middle School Matters: NYU Middle School Programs Build College Readiness

“It’s great to see kids who don’t have an idea of their future really start to make plans for themselves,” says DeeSoul Carson. He’s a program administrator for NYU’s College and Career Lab (CCL). Carson has witnessed hundreds of students flourish through CCL, a six-year summer program that begins in middle school.

CCL helps middle schoolers envision their future careers by exposing them to various professional areas. It also prepares them for college by familiarizing them with university-style lectures and teaching them essential soft skills, like email writing.

In year one, students spend each week immersed in a different NYU school. They learn the basics of filmmaking at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and gain an introduction to marketing at NYU Stern School of Business. Next, they monitor Brooklyn’s air pollution at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and sharpen their debate skills at NYU School of Law. The following summer, they can focus on the specific area that interests them most. For instance, middle schoolers considering a medical career recently visited Bellevue Hospital for an orthopedic simulation, where they practiced drilling into fake bones and learned how to suture.

“The idea is to give them hands-on learning with everything they’re trying out,” says Carson. “We’re trying to spark some sort of passion for what they want to do in the future, and give them connections to people in those fields who can talk to them and lead them along their way.”

CCL applications are now open for the 2026 summer session.

At NYU Tandon, summer is a time of discovery for STEM-curious middle schoolers. The school offers two free middle school programs each July: Science of Smart Cities and Sounds of New York City. Throughout each four-week program, students work with Tandon faculty, take field trips around NYU, and explore New York City.

During Sounds of New York City, middle schoolers examine the public health consequences of sound. They study sound waves in local communities, building devices that make and monitor sound. Then, they use their findings to design medical or environmental devices that use sound to improve everyday life.

In Science of Smart Cities, students explore how engineering, computer science, and technology can make cities safer and more sustainable. “They focus on real challenges in urban environments,” shares Susan Hermon, STEM initiatives and operations manager at Tandon’s Center for K12 STEM Education. “Students gain hands-on experience wiring circuits, working with Arduino [an open-source electronic prototyping platform], and coding. Then, they design their own projects, like traffic lights or vertical farms using moisture sensors.”

Tandon’s summer program applications are now open.

NYU College Connections incorporates components for middle school students as well as their parents and caregivers. You and your student will learn why college matters, how the application process works, tips to make college affordable, and what to consider when deciding which college or university is the right fit.

The program kicks off with a campus tour led by an undergraduate student ambassador—a favorite experience for many middle schoolers, who often bond with their guide. Students then join an information session tailored to their age group. There, they learn the basics of the college application process and the importance of higher education.

“For many middle schoolers, it’s their first time hearing terms like FAFSA, letters of recommendation, or standardized tests,” says Gary Gonzalez, graduate assistant for College Connections. “We aim to introduce them to these concepts in a manner that’s digestible and understandable for their age.”

“I think the presentation validated for my daughter the messages we have been trying to tell her,” shares one mother. “It was amazing that she heard it from ‘experts’ and not her parents.”

If you’re interested, you can request a College Connections session for your student.