It’s time to let your kids know that MIT’s very popular Splash weekend for high school students is open for registration. MIT sponsors Splash every November on its campus in Cambridge, MA and over the course of a weekend, high school students have the opportunity to take a wide variety of really interesting and unique classes taught by MIT students in categories ranging from engineering and pop culture to visual and performing arts. Check out this year’s course catalog to get a sense of the breadth of classes.
I am delighted they are offering a wide variety of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) classes and I encourage my daughter to check them out, but what really gets her excited are the unusual and truly unique, often non-STEM, offerings. I always get a kick out of what my daughter and her friends sign up for and it’s interesting to hear what they think when they come out of the class. For example, here are a few of the classes they took last year:
- A Brief History of Doors: Learn the history and engineering behind an object you consider “ordinary.”
- Study Abroad in High School: Learn about US government-sponsored study abroad programs for high schoolers.
- Cryptic Crosswords: This class combines the best parts of regular crossword puzzles and other word games.
- Cosplay Crafts: Learn to craft beginner armor and props for cosplay with materials such as worbla, styrene, and craft foam.
MIT Splash is a wonderful opportunity for high school students to immerse themselves in a non-traditional learning experience for a weekend and get introduced to topics they might not be exposed to in their regular school day. As a parent, I highly recommend this program because it allows kids to explore, learn and try something new and experience it on a college campus (very cool!) and for a relatively small cost of $40.
The program is well-attended and classes do fill up. If your child is interested in participating, visit the MIT Splash page to register and sign up for classes. MIT runs a lottery, so while your child might not get every class they request, there will be an opportunity to add and drop classes after the schedule is issued.
Here are the key details:
Register online from now until October 28 for the two-day program (Saturday, November 19 and Sunday, November 20, 2016)
Participants: 9th-12th-grade students
Location: MIT campus (Cambridge, MA)
Cost: $40 for the entire weekend of classes (generous financial aid is available)
Image source: Niklas Tenhaef
