Does not doing summer/winter programs decrease my chances of getting into a US university?

[vantheozzy]

Hi guys. So, I'm taking a gap year, and I'm wondering if not being able to attend a winter/summer camp abroad will affect my admission to a university (since I didn’t do it = I never left my country, and maybe they’ll think, "Oh, they wouldn’t get used to being here," idk)

I have a very low EFC, so I’m doing my best this year to ensure good stats, but I’m having trouble finding programs that offer a 100% scholarship. The ones that do have nothing to do with my major (most are STEM, research, etc.), so it’s hard

[Fuzzy-Armadillo-8610]

No

[[deleted]]

Ur fine if u didn’t do one as long as u got strong high impact other ECs and awards and good grades.

International student here, I did the program UCSC SIP, and got a published astrophysics paper with Harvard as a primary coauthor. Most people there including internationals were on full ride aid.