Marie Curie’s son-in-law won the Stalin Peace Prize. Starfish are colorblind. I don’t know how bikes work, but it turns out nobody does. Never before have you had the opportunity to discover so many new facts about so many different topics. At MIT Splash, an annual program taking place the weekend before Thanksgiving, students have the opportunity to learn about practically anything. Don’t fret, just because this event takes place on MIT’s campus doesn’t mean you need to be a genius or computer master. You can fill your schedule with classes ranging from “How to Knit” and “Let’s Talk about Baseball!” to “Finite Automata and Regular Expressions”. Now, I have zero interest in any of those things. In fact, I have no clue what automata means. Personally, I’d much rather take a class about solving a Rubix cube blindfolded or the science of chocolate. That’s exactly what I did, inviting two friends and moseying on down to Boston for the weekend. I’d highly recommend this opportunity to anyone in high school, unless you’re under eleven (doctor’s orders).
Some of my favorite classes included “The Structure of Personality”, “Introduction to Typography” and “The Neuroscience of Zombies.” Some might not like having to follow a schedule, so if you are in the mood for something more casual, the program also has walk-in classes throughout the weekend that you can wander in and out of. I participated in these as well. I made a mini acrylic painting (easel included) and appreciated all juices except for Ruby Red. Getting to classes proved to be difficult, however. It was slightly intimidating to navigate over 35 buildings, each with multiple floors. Maps are provided, but without any sense of direction, I remained thoroughly confused. Luckily for me, volunteers lined the halls to help direct students to the right locations.
Splash helps to prepare high schoolers for college in that it introduces participants to new people with similar interests and to the frenzy of a college campus. In a more straightforward way, you can take classes on life skills, like “Making Good Financial Decisions” or “Preparing for College.” These are classes that help prepare you for the real world and aren’t included in most schools’ core curriculum. Education is vital, and this program inspires young learners to broaden their academic horizons.
To learn more about Splash, access https://esp.mit.edu/learn/Splash/index.html